Organelles Unleashed

Cell Composition

• Inorganic compounds found in cells include water, salts, and acids.
• The most important inorganic compound found in cells is water.
• Organic compounds found in cells include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.

Cell Structure

• The average size of an average cell is approximately 10-30 micrometers.
• There are over 200 different cell types in mammals.
• There are approximately 37.2 trillion cells in the human body.

Biomolecules

• Primary elements that form biomolecules in cells include carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen.
• Phosphorus is also a key element in biomolecules.
• Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for cells.
• Proteins provide the body with shape and form, and are a source of heat and energy.

Nucleic Acids

• RNA is a type of nucleic acid important for human metabolism.
• The main role of RNA is to translate genetic information into proteins.
• DNA is a double-stranded nucleic acid, while RNA is single-stranded.
• The flow of information from nucleic acids to protein is DNA → RNA → Protein.

Cell Membrane and Organelles

• The cell membrane is responsible for regulating the flow of materials into and out of the cell.
• The mitochondria is the organelle responsible for breaking down organic materials to produce energy.
• The Golgi apparatus is responsible for packaging substances for distribution within the cell or throughout the body.
• Lysosomes contain digestive enzymes and are involved in intracellular digestion.
• Ribosomes are involved in protein synthesis and can be found both free-floating in the cytoplasm and attached to the endoplasmic reticulum.
• The centrioles are responsible for maintaining the chromosome number during cell division and organizing microtubules.
• The endoplasmic reticulum is involved in the synthesis of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, as well as the storage of proteins and minerals.
• The rough endoplasmic reticulum is functionally associated with the endoplasmic reticulum and is responsible for packaging proteins in vesicles for excretion or internal use.

Cell Division

• During mitosis, a single cell divides into two identical daughter cells.
• When a cell is preparing for division, the DNA molecules are replicated.
• Anaphase is the phase of mitosis that involves the separation of sister chromatids.
• Somatic cells have a ploidy of 2n.
• There are four sub-phases in mitosis: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
• Gametes in humans have a ploidy of 1n.
• The purpose of meiosis is to produce gametes with half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell.
• Meiosis produces four daughter cells that are genetically unique.
• The main difference between mitosis and meiosis is the number of daughter cells produced and the ploidy of the resulting cells.