Cell Structures and Functions

• Light microscopes and electron microscopes each have distinct advantages and disadvantages.
• Three important parameters in microscopy must be considered.
• Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells share similar functions.
• Key differences exist between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
• Organelles are a structural and/or functional feature of cells, each with specific features.
• Specific information of the following structures:

Plasma Membrane

• Characterized by selective permeability.

Nucleus

• Contains most of the genes in the eukaryotic cell.

ER (Rough and Smooth)

• Smooth ER synthesizes lipids, metabolizes carbohydrates, and detoxifies drugs and poisons.
• Rough ER aids in the synthesis of proteins.

Golgi

• Receives transport vesicles from the ER.

Lysosomes

• A membranous sac of hydrolytic enzymes.

Peroxisomes

• Contains enzymes that remove hydrogen atoms from substances and transfer them to oxygen, producing hydrogen peroxide.

Vacuoles

• Large vesicles derived from the ER and Golgi apparatus.

Ribosomes

• Complexes made of ribosomal RNA and protein, and carry out protein synthesis.

Mitochondria

• Sites of cellular respiration, the metabolic process that uses oxygen to generate ATP.

Chloroplast

• Found in plants and algae, are the sites of photosynthesis.
• The endomembrane system members are related through direct contact or by transfer of membrane segments as vesicles.
• Two types of ribosomes are present with different components or functions.
• Lysosomes help in intracellular digestion in two ways.
• Endosymbiont theory needs to be understood.
• Three components make up the cytoskeleton and the makeup and functions of microfilaments and microtubules.
• Similarities and differences exist between cilia and flagella.
• Four types of cell junctions have specific information and should be studied.