Cells Flashcards
What are examples of inorganic
molecules?
What are examples of organic
molecules?
What is the storage form of glucose in
plants?
How can you tell if a fat product is
saturated or not, just by looking?
What 3 things does every cell have in
common?
What is HOMEOSTASIS?
What does the average cell (if there is
such a thing) contain?
Salt and water. They are inorganic because they do not
contain carbon
Carbohydrates, Lipids, and Proteins
Complex carbohydrates
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature
Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature
Every cell has three things in common:
1. Metabolic functions (using sugars, oxygen, etc)
2. Responds to its environment
3. Capable of maintaining homeostasis within itself
and within the body.
HOMEOSTASIS is maintaining a constant and
appropriate internal environment, such as temperature,
pH, glucose levels, etc.
• Plasma membrane (actually, a type of organelle)
• Cytoplasm and cytosol
• A Nucleus
• Organelles (a membranous or membrane-bound
compartment that carries out particular functions)
• Ribosomes (little factories that take amino acids
and make proteins out of them) No membrane
and not an organelle
Cell Photo
What is the CYTOPLASM and where
is it located?
What does CYTOSOL contain and
where is it found?
CYTOPLASM: watery liquid found inside and outside
the organelles, but OUTSIDE the nucleus.
CYTOSOL: Another liquid that is thicker than water, and
is NOT inside the organelles or nucleus.
Contains the following:
a. Mostly water
b. Things dissolved in water (amino acids, sugars
like glucose, nucleic acids, and ATP, which is a molecule
used for energy).
c. Cytoskeleton
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Cells Flashcards
Where can you find
NEUCLEOPLASM?
What is a Cytoskeleton and
What are its 2 functions?
What are Organelles in the cell?
NEUCLEOPLASM is the liquid inside the nucleus.
Cytoskeleton: made up of long protein fibers, which
extend throughout the cytosol.
Functions of cytoskeleton:
1) Maintains cell shape
2) Movement (such as muscle cell contraction, organelles
within the cell, or the cell itself moving around).
ORGANELLES: those that are surrounded by a
membrane


What is the PLASMA (CELL)
MEMBRANE?
What are its Functions?
What is its double layer made
of?
Plasma Cell Membrane
Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER): a network of
channels.
o Rough ER (has ribosomes)
o Smooth ER (no ribosomes)
 Golgi Complex
 Vesicles (vacuoles)
 Mitochondria
 Nucleus
 Centrioles
PLASMA (CELL) MEMBRANE
Surrounds the entire cell.
Functions of the Plasma Membrane:
a. Movement of materials into and out of
cell, acts as a barrier to the external
environment
b. Acts as a site for receiving signals from
the rest of the body
c. Acts as a site for holding the cell in place
The plasma membrane is made up of two layers of
molecules =Phospholipid Bilayer
Phospholipids are made of two layers of Phospholipid Bilayer
molecules, what are they? Polar or non
 Fatty Acid Tails, non polar and Hydrophobic
polar? Hydrophilic or Hydrophobic?
 Phosphate heads, polar and hydrophilic
What are Ribosomes?
Are they organelles?
RIBOSOMES Ribosomes make proteins.
Ribosomes are not organelles because they do not have
a plasma membrane.
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Cells Flashcards
What is Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)
What 2 types are there?
What is the difference between the two
types?
What is Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum?
What is its Function?
What is Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
and its 4 Functions?
What is the Golgi Complex and its
Functions?
What are Vesicles?
ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM (ER): a network of
channels.
Two types:
• Rough ER: contains ribosomes
Function of ribosomes is to make proteins.
• Smooth ER: NO ribosomes
Function is to detoxify chemicals that enter the cell.
ROUGH ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM
(endoplasmic = within cytoplasm; reticulum = network;
rough = surface of membrane covered with ribosomes.
This is an organelle, but the ribosomes are not.
Function of RER is the synthesis (making) of certain
kinds of proteins:
 Membrane proteins
 Proteins for export (such as digestive system
enzymes)
 Proteins for use within the cell
SMOOTH ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM (no
ribosomes)
Function of SER
 SER is continuous with the rough ER, but
lacks ribosomes and functions primarily in
lipid production
 Involved in metabolism (makes/ breaks) of
carbohydrates (sugars) and lipids.
 Stores calcium (necessary for every cell)
 Detoxifies harmful substances (alcohol,
drugs, etc)
GOLGI COMPLEX
Functions of Golgi complex:
• Packages the proteins made by the RER and sends
them where they need to go (like a FedEx center!)
• Sometimes proteins are modified in the golgi
complex. Therefore, this structure receives materials
from the rough ER and “packages and ships” them.
VESICLES (vacuoles): a sphere of membrane with
something in it. Bubble-like containers for various
substances. This is an organelle. Some are created by the
end of the Golgi complex: a piece of membrane pinches
off, leaving a protein in the vesicle, which carries the
protein to the cell membrane, where it merges with the
cell membrane, pops, and releases its contents outside of
the cell.
Other vesicles contain food storage or enzymes.
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Cells Flashcards
What are 3 main types of Vesicles?
What are lysosomes?
What are transport vesicles?
Where are lipids, carbohydrates and
enzymes stored in a cell?
What is the smallest living unit in the
body?
What is their function?
Where is DNA stored?
What makes RNA?
Where is the Nucleolous?
Is it an organelle?
What is its function?
Lysosomes
Transport vesicles
Storage vesicles
LYSOSOMES: are sacs of powerful digestive enzymes
to dissolve an old organelle, bacteria, or to commit cell
suicide = APOPTOSIS (programmed cell death).
TRANSPORT VESICLES: when material needs to
move from RER to Golgi complex, or from Golgi
complex to cell membrane, etc.
STORAGE VESICLES
MITOCHONDRIA
 Must have OXYGEN to convert nutrients to ATP
for energy
 ATP made in the Cytosol too
 Most complex organelle
 Contains curves known as cristae
Function of mitochondria is to make ATP, which is
cellular energy (ATP is an energy source). They make
their own energy.
NUCLEUS
NUCLEUS
NUCLEOLUS
 Within a nucleus there sometimes are areas that
are darker. These are regions of condensed RNA.
 The nucleolus is NOT an organelle, but the
nucleus is. Don’t get “nucleolus” mixed up with
the word “nucleus” on the test. The nucleolus
does not contain the DNA; the nucleus does. The
nucleolus is within the nucleus, but it does NOT
contain DNA.
 The nucleolus stores RNA (RNA is made in the
nucleus). RNA is important for protein
synthesis.
What is Transcription and where does it
occur?
What is Translation and where does it
occur?
•
•
•
TRANSCRIPTION is when mRNA (messenger
RNA) is synthesized.
This occurs in the nucleus.
TRANSLATION is the process of RNA
communicating with a ribosome to tell it what
type of protein to make. Therefore, translation is
characterized by PROTEIN SYNTHESIS.
This occurs in the cytoplasm.
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Cells Flashcards
What are Centrioles?
What is the function of a Flagellum?
What is the function of Microvilli?
What is the function of Cilia?
What are Stem Cells?
What is the difference between a benign
and malignant tumor?
What does metastasize mean?
CENTRIOLES
Centrioles are filaments within the cell that function
during metaphase-anaphase of mitosis. When the cell
goes from metaphase to anaphase of mitosis, the
chromatids separate and follow the spindles of the
centrioles towards the opposite ends
of the cell.
FLAGELLUM
• Some cells have a flagellum, which is a whip-like
tail used to help them move (locomotion).
• An example is a sperm cell.
MICROVILLI
• Some cells have microvilli, which increase the
surface area of cells by approximately 600 fold,
thus facilitating absorption and secretion.
CILIA
• Some cells have cilia, which are small, hair-like
structures that can wave back and forth; function
to sweep substances along across the top of the
cell.
• For example, the cells of the
lungs are lined with cilia, which
move mucous up from the lungs
so it can be coughed up and
swallowed.
STEM CELLS: A population of cells are always
available to replace the cells that have died
 Muscle stem cells give rise to new muscle cells.
 Bone marrow stem cells give rise to new blood
cells.
 Embryonic stem cells give rise to any type of
cells, including neurons (adults don’t have neural
stem cells) and pancreatic cells (diabetics don’t
have pancreatic stem cells).
 Stem cells are named by type + suffix: BLAST
 Erythrocyte = RBC. Erythroblast = stem cell that
gives rise to erythrocyte.
Too many cells can be a TUMOR (an abnormal growth).
Two types of tumors:
1. BENIGN (“harmless”, although can cause harm
by pressing on vital structure)
2. MALIGNANT (cancerous). These are
dangerous because the cells in the tumor
METASTASIZE (leave original site, go
elsewhere and grow). Liver cancer in the lung
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Cells Flashcards
Cancer is hundreds of diseases, each with a different
cause, symptoms, treatment, and prognosis. Any cell type
can become malignant, producing different types of
cancer.
What is cancer of the epithelial tissue?
What is cancer of the connective tissue?
What is cancer of the lymph nodes?
What is cancer of the blood?
FOUR TYPES OF CANCER
1. CARCINOMA: epithelial tissue (skin)
2. SARCOMA: Connective tissue (bones and
muscles)
3. LYMPHOMA: Cancer of the lymph tissues
4. LEUKEMIA: Blood or blood-forming tissues
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