Scribd
Upload
82 views

Cell Structure Lecture

Breaks down materials inside the cell

Uploaded by

deepa gujjar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
82 views

Cell Structure Lecture

Breaks down materials inside the cell

Uploaded by

deepa gujjar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 26

Cell Structure and Function

Biology 155
Krug
Fall 2003
Definition of a cell:
 basic structural and functional unit of life

 the smallest units that display the


characteristics of life, i.e. reproduction,
metabolism, response to stimuli
General Subdivisions of a Cell
• Plasma Membrane = selectively permeable
boundary between the cell and the
environment

• Nucleus = regulatory center of the cell

• Cytoplasm = everything between the plasma


membrane and the nucleus (fluid + organelles)
Plasma Membrane
1. Structure = phospholipd bilayer with proteins
embedded in, and attached to, the inner
(intracellular) and outer (extracellular) surfaces

2. Function
a. Selectively permeable barrier: controls what
enters and leaves the cell
b. Phospholipids are liquid at body temperature, so
proteins float around in the membrane
-functions as a Fluid Mosaic
Plasma Membrane
Plasma Membrane (2)
2. Function – continued
c. Main responsibility: ensure the composition of
extracellular fluid is not the same as the
composition of the intracellular fluid
d. Water-soluble substances (salts, nutrients) cross
membrane with aid of protein channels, which are
selective about what can pass through
e. Lipids can pass directly through bilayer by
diffusion (the random walk of molecules)
f. Attachment site of cytoskeleton, the internal
support of the cell
Plasma Membrane (3)
3. Glycocalyx = protein and carbohydrate coat
covering the extracellular surface of the
plasma membrane
a. Allows attachment to other cells
b. Allows the cell to interact with the environment
c. Gives each person’s cell a distinctive surface;
allows your body to recognize foreign tissues
as different from your own (i.e., blood type,
transplant rejection)
Plasma Membrane
General Subdivisions of a Cell
• Plasma Membrane = selectively permeable
boundary between the cell and the
environment

• Nucleus = regulatory center of the cell

• Cytoplasm = everything between the plasma


membrane and the nuclear compartment
Cell Structure Overview
Nucleus
1. Nuclear Envelope (membrane)
a. Phospholipid bilayer with nuclear pores

b. Controls what enters/leaves the nucleus


-- things only go in or out by passing through
protein channels, which are selective

c. Encloses all the chromosomes


Nucleus
2. Chromatin = all the chromosomes, which are
long strands of the molecule DNA

-- DNA regulates all cell activities, yet never


leaves the nucleus; how is this
possible?

produces RNA, short messenger molecules


that exit through nuclear pores

RNA carries instructions out into the cytoplasm


Nucleus
3. Nucleolus – site of ribosome synthesis
a. compartment in the nucleus where ribsomes
are assembled

b. ribosomes are then moved out into cytoplasm


through nuclear pores

c. ribosomes and RNA work together outside


the nucleus, to build all the proteins in the cell
Nuclear
Compartment
Ribosomes
Ribosomes = site of protein synthesis
--assembled in the nucleolus
--exported into the cytoplasm

a. Free – unbound in the fluid cytoplasm, produce


proteins for use in the cell

b. Bound – attached to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER),


produce proteins for export, or for the plasma
membrane
Cytoplasm + Organelles
1. Fluid portion = “cytoplasm”
a. Water with dissolved salts, nutrients and
enzymes (= proteins that do a particular job)
b. Site of many metabolic reactions

2. Cytoskeleton = network of protein fibers


extending throughout the fluid cytoplasm
a. Support and structure for the cell
b. Very dynamic, always remodeling itself
c. Critical for cells to divide and copy themselves
Cell Structure
Organelles
1. Separate compartments within the cytoplasm
formed by membranes

2. Mitochondrion = “thread granule”, major source


of cell’s energy
a. energy is taken from sugar, stored in molecule
called ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
b. requires oxygen to make this exchange
(aerobic metabolism)
c. contained within double membrane
Mitochondrion
Organelles (2)
3. The Cytomembrane System = system of tubes
and chambers formed by membranes

a. extensively distributed throughout the fluid


cytoplasm

b. involved in synthesis, modification,


processing & packaging of cellular lipids
and proteins
Cell Structure
Cytomembrane System
1. Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) = “within the
cytoplasm network”, a system of tubes and sacs
formed by membranes (an enclosed space)

a) Rough = with bound ribosomes


--modifies proteins produced by the ribosomes

b) Smooth = without bound ribosomes


-doesn’t modify proteins
-functions in lipid synthesis, drug
detoxification, carbohydrate metabolism
Cytomembrane System (2)
2. Golgi Apparatus = series of flattened sacs formed by
membranes, functions in final protein processing prior
to use by the cell

a. proteins get shuttled from the ER to one end


of the Golgi

b. in each sac, different modifications are made


(proteins get individually tailored)

c. proteins get sorted and shipped off to their


destination (like the post office of the cell)
Cytomembrane System (2)
3. Vesicles = small membrane-bound structures
that transport proteins and lipids around the cell
a. little transporters that shuttle their
contents from one organelle to another
b. when they contact the appropriate organelle,
they fuse with its outer membrane and dump
their contents inside
c. same for plasma membrane, allowing the
export of materials from the cell (exocytosis)
Vesicles move from ER to Golgi
Cytomembrane System (2)
4. Lysosome = membrane-bound vesicle that
contains digestive enzymes or toxic chemicals

a. merges with vesicles containing food


particles, invading bacteria

b. harsh chemicals and enzymes degrade the


food or bacteria, without harming rest of cell

You might also like