KEY
Name _________________________________
Hour __________
The Virtual Cell Worksheet
Directions: Go to Mrs. Sorensen’s web-page and click on the Virtual Cell link. Find the answers to each
question by exploring this website.
1. Centrioles are only found in _____ANIMAL_____________ cells. They function in
cell __DIVISION___________________. They have __9___ groups of ___3__
arrangement of the protein fibers. Draw a picture of a centriole in the box.
2. Lysosomes are called ___SUICIDE___________________ sacks. They are
produced by the _GOLGI_______________ body. They consist of a single membrane
surrounding powerful ___DIGESTIVE____________ enzymes. Those lumpy brown
structures are digestive __ENZYMES_. They help protect you by
_DISSOLVING________ the bacteria that your white blood cells engulf.
__LYSOSOMES_______ act as a clean up crew for the cell. Zoom in and draw what
you see.
3. Chloroplasts are the site of _PHOTOSYNTHESIS_____________________. They
consists of a ___DOUBLE_______ membrane. The stacks of disk like structures are
called the _GRANA_____________. The membranes connecting them are the
__THYLAKOID_______________ membranes. Zoom in and draw a picture.
Centriole
Lysosomes
Chloroplasts
4. Mitochondrion is the __POWERHOUSE_______________ of the cell. It is the site
of __RESPIRATION_______________. It has a __DOUBLE_________ membrane.
The inner membrane is where most _AEROBIC________ respiration occurs. The inner
membranes are __FOLDED_____ with a very large surface area. These ruffles are
called _CRISTAE______. Mitochondria have their own ____DNA_ and manufacture
some of their own _PROTEINS_____. Draw a picture of the mitochondrion with its
membrane cut.
Mitochondrion
5. Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) is a series of double membranes that ___LOOP____
back and forth between the cell membrane and the __NUCLEUS________. These
membranes fill the _CYTOPLASM___________________ but you cannot see them
because they are very __TRANSPARENT_________________. The rough E.R. has
___RIBOSOMES_______________________ attached to it. This gives it its texture.
These ribosomes manufacture ______PROTEIN____________________ for the cell.
The ribosomes are the ______ORGANELLE________________________ which
manufacture proteins. Draw the rough ER with a ribosome.
Endoplasmic
Reticulum
(ER)
6. Smooth E.R. ___LACKS_________ ribosomes. It acts as a
____PATHWAY______________________ throughout the cytoplasm. It runs from the
cell membrane to the nuclear ___MEMBRANE_____________ and throughout the rest
of the cell. It also produces _LIPIDS_________________ for the cell. Draw a picture of
the smooth ER.
Smooth ER
Cell Membrane
7. Cell Membrane performs a number of critical functions for the ___CELL_____. It
regulates all that _ENTERS____________ and leaves the cell; in multicellular
organisms it allows __SELF_______ recognition. Draw and shade the cell
membrane.
8. Nucleus is called the __HEADQUARTERS____________________ of the cell. It is
a large __DARJ________ spot in eukaryotic cells. It ___CONTROLS________ all cell
activity. The nuclear membrane has many ___PORES_________________. The thick
ropy strands are the _______CHROMTIN______________________. The large solid
spot is the __NUCLEOLUS___________________. The nucleolus is a spot of
___CONDENSED_______________ chromatin. It manufactures
_____RIBOSOMES_____________________. The chromatin is __DNA_______ in its
active form. It is a ___C0MBINATION_______________________________ of DNA
and histone proteins. It stores the information needed for the manufacture of
____PROTEINS________________. Draw a picture of the nucleus and its nucleolus.
9. Golgi Body is responsible for packaging ___PROTEINS______________________
for the cell. Once the proteins are produced by the ___ROUGH___________ E.R., they
pass into the __SACK_____________ like cisternae that are the main part of the Golgi
body. These proteins are then squeezed off into the little ___BLOBS______________
which drift off into the cytoplasm. Draw a picture of the Golgi Body as it is squeezing off
the proteins.
Nucleolus
Golgi Body