Cell
Cell
Cell
Peroxisomes contain hydrogen peroxide. One of the primary functions of peroxisomes is the
breakdown of very long chain fatty acids that can be transported to mitochondria, where they
are used as fuel for cellular respiration.
CYTOSKELETON ORGANIZES STRUCTURES AND ACTIVITIES IN THE CELL
The cytoskeleton, a network of fibers extending throughout the cytoplasm. It plays a major role
in organizing the structures and activities of the cell, is composed of three types of structures:
microtubules, microfilaments, and intermediate filaments.
All eukaryotic cells have microtubules, it is constructed from protein tubulin.
Microtubules shape and support the cell, serves as tracks along which organelles equipped with
motor proteins can move, guide secretory vesicles from the golgi apparatus to the plasma
membrane, separate chromosomes during cell division.
In animal cells, microtubules grow out from a centrosome. Within the centrosome are a pair of
centrioles. (Help with cell division)
Some eukaryotic cells have flagella, which are microtubule-containing extensions. (Male
gamete)
Microfilaments are also called actin filaments because they are constructed from protein actin.
The structural role of microfilaments in the cytoskeleton is to apply tension.
In the plasma membrane, microfilaments help support the cell’s shape. This network gives the
outer cytoplasmic layer of the cell, called the cortex.
They also function in contracting muscle cells.
In plant cells, the interactions of actin filaments cause cytoplasmic streaming, a circular flow of
cytoplasm within cells.
Just like the microfilaments, intermediate filaments are specialized in bearing tension, making
the cell structure more rigid, help anchor organelles, including the nucleus.
Plasma Membrane and the Cell Wall
o The cell wall is an extracellular structure of plants that distinguishes them from animal
cells. The wall protects the pant cell, maintain its shape, and prevents excessive uptake
of water.
o Plant cell walls are much thicker than the plasma membrane. They are made of
polysaccharide cellulose.
o Cell walls are perforated with plasmodesmata. It provides channels through the cell wall
allowing molecules and substances to move and back and forth between adjacent plant
cells.
o The outermost component of animal cells is the plasma membrane. The plasma
membrane consists of phospholipid bilayer.
o This membrane is unique in that its surfaces are hydrophilic, electrostatically interacting
with the aqueous environments inside and outside of the cell, while its inner portion is
hydrophobic, which helps to provide a highly selective barrier between the interior of the
cell and the external environment. Molecules must undergo simple or facilitated diffusion
in order pass through the membrane. (facilitated with the use of integral protein
channels)
CONTRASTING ANIMAL AND PLANT CELLS
In animal cells=Lysosomes: digestive organelles where macromolecules are hydrolyzed,
centrosomes with centrioles contains the cell’s microtubules, and flagella: locomotion organelle
present in some animal cells composed of microtubules.
In PLANT CELLs=chloroplasts: photosynthetic organelle, converts energy of sunlight to chemical
energy stored in sugar molecules, central vacuole: functions include storage, breakdown or waste
products, hydrolysis of macromolecules. Cell wall: outer layer that maintains the cell’s shape and
protects cell from damage, made of cellulose majorly. Plasmodesmata: channels through the cell
walls that connect the cytoplasm of adjacent cells.
CONTRASTING EUKARYOTIC AND PROKARYTIC CELLS