Animal cell vs. Plant cell


Plasma membrane - a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins that separates the internal contents of the cell from its surrounding environment.

 

Cell wall - maintains cell shape

 

Ribosomes - protein synthesis 

 

Cytoplasm - the cell's entire region between the plasma membrane and the nuclear envelope (a structure we will discuss shortly). It is comprised of organelles suspended in the gel-like cytosol, the cytoskeleton, (70 - 80% water)

 

Cytosol - the fluid inside a cell, excluding organelles.

 

Flagella - long, hair-like structure that extends from the plasma membrane and moves the cell

 

Cytoskeleton - protein fiber network that collectively maintains the cell's shape, secures some organelles in specific positions, allows cytoplasm and vesicles to move within the cell, and enables unicellular organisms to move independently

 

Nucleus - cell organelle that houses the cell’s DNA and directs ribosome and protein synthesis


Golgi apparatus - eukaryotic organelle comprised of a series of stacked membranes that sorts, tags, and packages lipids and proteins for distribution

 

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) - 

series of interconnected membranous structures within eukaryotic cells that collectively modify proteins and synthesize lipids


Mitochondria - cellular organelles responsible for carrying out cellular respiration, resulting in producing ATP, the cell’s main energy-carrying molecule


Chloroplast - plant cell organelle that carries out photosynthesis


Lysosome - organelle in an animal cell that functions as the cell’s digestive component; it breaks down proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, nucleic acids, and even worn-out organelles

 

Endomembrane system - synthesis of proteins, transport of proteins into membranes and organelles or out of the cell, metabolism and movement of lipids, and detoxification of poisons


Vesicles - Transports substances in and out of the cell (via the plasma membrane) and between organelles. Some are formed by the Golgi apparatus or the endoplasmic reticulum, while others are formed at the cell surface.

 

Vacuole - membrane-bound sac, somewhat larger than a vesicle, which functions in cellular storage and transport