Biology vocab

Cytoplasm - fills the cell - everything in the cell outside the nucleus is in the cytoplasm.

Ribosomes - located throughout the cell; site of protein synthesis (aka translation)

Cell membrane - regulates what goes in and out of the cell; forms the cell boundary

Cell wall - this rigid structure gives protection, support, and shape to cells in plants, algae, fungi, and prokaryotes.

Centriole - small cylinder-shaped organelle made of protein tubes arranged in a circle that is used to aid in the process of mitosis

Chloroplast - an organelle found in photosynthetic cells (plants, algae) where photosynthesis takes place

Cytoskeleton - the cytoplasmic network of protein filaments that plays a major role in cell movement, shape, & division

Endoplasmic reticulum - a system of membranes that is found in a cell’s cytoplasm and that assists in the production, processing, and transport of proteins and in the production of lipids.

Golgi apparatus - organelle that helps make and package materials to be transported out of the cell. 

Lysosome - organelle that contains enzymes

Mitochondrion (plural = mitochondria) - the organelle that is surrounded by two membranes and that is the site of cellular respiration, which produces ATP for energy

Nucleus - in a eukaryotic cell, a membrane-bound organelle that contains the cell’s DNA and that has a role in processes such as growth, metabolism, and reproduction.

Vacuole - the organelle that is used to store materials, such as water, food, or enzymes, that are needed by the cell. Plant cells have large, permanent vacuoles while animal cells have smaller, temporary ones that come and go.

Vesicle - a small cavity or sac that contains materials in a eukaryotic cell; it forms when part of the cell membrane surround the materials to be taken into the cell or transported within the cell