Cell Assignment

Cell & Membrane Questions (please add an imbedded reference and a reference page at the
end)
1. Describe the structure and function (in one or two sentences) of each of the
following: lysosomes, peroxisomes, vacuoles, mitochondria, chloroplasts,
centrosome, microtubules, centromeres, ribosomes, smooth and rough
endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi bodies.
Answer) lysosomes: contains digestive enzymes that breaks down parts of the
cell, transports undigested material to cell membrane for removal.
Peroxisome: Single membrane bounded vesicles, plays important role
metabolism, reactive oxygen and signaling. (1)
Vacuoles: stores oil, carbs, water or toxins, they are surrounded by cell
membrane.
Mitochondria: They are known as the “powerhouse” of the cell and they produce
ATP breaks down the nutrient and creates energy for the cell. They are fund in
cells surrounded by cytoplasm.
Chloroplasts: it is chlorophyll containing organelles in plant cell, this is the place
where photosynthesis takes place. (2)
Centrosome: 2 microtubule rings and its main function is to organize the tubules
and provide the structure to the cell. (3)
Ribosomes: the sites of protein synthesis the protein factory of the cell usually
they are utilized in the cytoplasm instead then the protein are transported
outside the cells.
Smooth ER: synthesizes the lipids, phospholipids as in plasma membranes and
steroids, detoxification of harmful metabolic by-products. (4)
Rough ER: It synthesizes the proteins in the liver, hormones and other
substances in the glands. (5)
Golgi bodies: aka Golgi apparatus they provide an area where macromolecules
are tagged with labels.
2. Describe the differences between plant and animal cells. Be specific.
Answer) Plant cells have cell wall, and chloroplast but on the other hand animal
cells have lysosome, and cell membrane.
3. How does a prokaryotic cell differ from a eukaryotic cell? Which evolved first?
Answer) prokaryotes are the cells that do not contain a nucleus and a eukaryote
cells do contain a nucleus. Eukaryotes evolved first.
4. How would a cell in the leaf differ from a cell in the stem? Think of their
functions.
Answer) cells in the leaves have very tiny holes in them to intake carbon dioxide
and release oxygen they also contain chlorophyll to create food but stem it
should be all packed together as it is the support backbone of the plant
containing water and minerals to the upper part of the plant.
Cell Membrane Questions (please add an imbedded reference and a reference page at the
end)
1. Explain the term “fluid mosaic”.
Answer) it is when the cells from cell membrane of various macromolecules are
in fluid which means they are capable of creating motions within the membrane.
2. Describe the various functions of integral proteins.
Answer) they are embedded to provide transport around the cells and the body.
3. Compare the membranes of the following organelles: Golgi body, vacuole,
peroxisome, smooth endoplasmic reticulum.
Answer) cell membrane compared to the Golgi body can differ but the Golgi
body is located near the nucleus and is it quite near the endoplasmic reticulum,
(6) vacuole it is a membrane bound organelle helps sequester waste (7),
peroxisome it is similar to the lysosome, Smooth ER it synthesizes the lipid on
the other hand the cell membrane does not do anything but protect the cell. (8)
4. Which types of molecules cannot naturally pass through the plasma membrane?
Answer) only charged molecules cannot pass through as they are ions and are
unable to diffuse through phospholipid bilayer. (9)

References

Kao, Y.-T., Gonzalez, K. L., & Bartel, B. (2018, January). Peroxisome function, biogenesis, and
dynamics in plants. Plant physiology. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5761812/#:~:text=Peroxisomes%20are%2
0organelles%20that%20sequester,seedling%20growth%2C%20and%20stomatal%20openi
ng. (1)

Chloroplast. Chloroplast - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2023,

from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-
dentistry/chloroplast#:~:text=Chloroplasts%20are%20chlorophyll%2Dcontaining%20orga
nelles,%2C%20leucoplasts%2C%20and%20other%20plastids. (2)

Admin. (2021, September 22). Centrosome - structure and functions of centrosome. BYJUS.
Retrieved March 7, 2023, from
https://byjus.com/biology/centrosome/#:~:text=A%20centrosome%20comprises%20two%
20microtubule,chromatids%20apart%20during%20cell%20division. (3)
Smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum - an overview | ScienceDirect
Topics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2023, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/smooth-endoplasmic-
reticulum#:~:text=The%20smooth%20endoplasmic%20reticulum%20functions,excess%20
of%20smooth%20endoplasmic%20reticulum. (4)

Admin. (2022, July 5). Endoplasmic reticulum - structure and its functions. BYJUS. Retrieved
March 7, 2023, from https://byjus.com/biology/endoplasmic-
reticulum/#:~:text=Structure%20of%20Endoplasmic%20Reticulum&text=The%20rough%
20endoplasmic%20reticulum%20is,other%20substances%20in%20the%20glands. (5)

Peroxisomes - the cell - NCBI bookshelf. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2023, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9930/ (6)

Endoplasmic Reticulum (rough and smooth). British Society for Cell Biology. (n.d.). Retrieved
March 7, 2023, from https://bscb.org/learning-resources/softcell-e-learning/endoplasmic-
reticulum-rough-and-smooth/ (7)

Selective beta-1-blockers - statpearls - NCBI bookshelf. (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2023, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499982/ (8) (9)