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Table 3-2: Cell Structure and Function
PLANT BIOLOGY

Structure Function

Cell wall Outer layer of plant cells; produced by the cytoplasm; gives shape and rigidity to the cell; cellulose the basic
constituent

Middle lamella Intercellular layer (mostly pectin) between primary walls of adjacent cells; binds them together

Primary wall First wall deposited by actively growing and dividing cells

Secondary wall Deposited inside primary wall after cell has stopped growing; cellulose, lignin, other materials deposited in layers
give strength to plant; pits present—areas where no secondary wall is deposited and through which
plasmodesmata extend

Plasmodesmata Strands of cytoplasm that connect adjacent cells; are pathways for material movement

Protoplast All of the material contained within the cell wall

Nucleus Structure that contains the genetic information (DNA) in eukaryotic cells; controls cellular activities

Nuclear envelope Pair of fused membranes around the nucleus; connected to the endoplasmic reticulum; contains pores through which
the nucleoplasm and cytoplasm connect

Nucleoplasm The fluid portion of the nucleus; also called the nuclear matrix

Chromatin In non-dividing cells, threads of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) plus associated proteins (histones) that are attached
to sites on the nuclear envelope; condenses into a compact mass when cells divide, forming chromosomes that carry
the genes

Nucleolus Plural: nucleoli; one or more spherical structures that are the site(s) of ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rrna) assembly

CELLS
from rrna genes; subunits of ribosomes also produced here

Cytoplasm Living cellular material exclusive of the nucleus

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Table 3-2: Cell Structure and Function (continued)
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Structure Function

CELLS
Plasma membrane Outer boundary of the cytoplasm; a lipid bilayer with embedded proteins; differentially permeable and regulates
movement of materials into and out of cells; coordinates synthesis of cell wall; recognizes and transmits internal and
external chemical signals

Cytosol Liquid portion of the cytoplasm in which cellular structures are suspended; also called the cytoplasmic matrix

Organelles General name for cellular structures bounded by membranes and specialized to perform specific functions

Bounded by two Evidence that these organelles once were independent prokaryotes; they retain many of their former traits within the
membranes eukaryote cells

Plastids Semiautonomous, contain DNA and ribosomes and reproduce by fission; have an elaborate internal structure; in
algae and plants

Chloroplasts Green (contain chlorophyll) sites of photosynthesis in thylakoid membranes, amino acid and fatty acid synthesis

Chromoplasts Yellow, orange, red (contain carotenoid pigments); attract pollinators to flowers and dispersers to colored seeds
and fruits

Leucoplasts Colorless site with no pigments; amyloplasts synthesize starch; others synthesize oils and probably proteins

Mitochondria Singular: mitochondrion; sites of aerobic respiration and release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP); similar tolike
plastids in being semiautonomous and containing DNA and ribosomes; also reproduce by fission; inner membrane
with many folds or cristae
CLIFFSQUICKREVIEW

Bounded by one Phospholipid bilayer that regulates material

membrane

Peroxisomes Also called microbodies; no internal membranes, DNA, or ribosomes, but are self-replicating; some important in
photorespiration; glyoxisomes contain enzymes that convert fats to sucrose during seed germination; others associ-
ated with mitochondria
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Vacuoles Sac of liquid, the cell sap, surrounded by a membrane, the tonoplast; in mature cells may occupy 90 percent of the
PLANT BIOLOGY

cell; gives turgor (rigidity) to the cell; serves as temporary storage site for Calcium and other materials; antho-
cyanin pigments in cell sap give color (reds and, blues) to leaves and flowers; some small vacuoles (like animal
lysosomes) are sites of digestion; others store wastes

Endomembrane Phospholipid bilayer that regulates material; collective name for all the cell membranes except those of mitochondria,
system plastids, and peroxisomes; membranes originate in the ER

Endoplasmic An extensive membranous system of flattened sacs (cisternae) that extends throughout the cytoplasm as a
reticulum (ER) communication and transport system; rough ER is covered with ribosomes and delivers proteins; smooth ER lacks
ribosomes,synthesizes lipids; rough ER is cisternal, smooth ER is tubular

Golgi complex Collection of Golgi bodies (dictyosomes) that are stacks of flattened cisternae associated with secretion; some
synthesize and export polysaccharides; others handle glycoproteins

Vesicles Small sacs of secretory material pinched off from the cisternae; move from the Golgi complex to the plasma mem-
brane (with the assistance of actin filaments) and liberate their contents outside of the cell; process is called
exocytosis—secretion of materials carried in vesicles from the cell

Cytoskeleton Matrix of protein fibers that gives support and on which organelles, enzymes, macromolecules are attached; com-
posed of two kinds of protein filaments with similar functions

Microtubules Long hollow tubes composed of the protein tubulin; in constant flux, breaking down and reforming; function in cell
division, cellular movement, and movement of materials within the cell

Actin filaments Long chains of the protein actin; responsible for cytoplasmic streaming, movement of nucleus in cell division,
organization of the ER, and other movements of cellular materials

Ribosomes Sites of protein assembly in the cytoplasm or on the rough ER; are small (17-23 Φm) particles assembled from a

CELLS
large and a small subunit produced in the nucleolus; are half ribosomal RNA (rrna) and half proteins in composi-
tion; messenger RNA (mrna) brings code from a gene, attaches to rrna and initiates protein synthesis; at sites of
active synthesis clusters of ribosomes are called polysomes or polyribosomes
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Table 3-2: Cell Structure and Function (continued)
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Structure Function

CELLS
Oil bodies Spherical drops of lipids (especially triglycerides used to synthesize membranes) common in the cytoplasm of cells
of seeds and fruits; used as energy and carbon sources for developing seedlings; not bound by a membrane; synthe-
sized in plastids or in the ER

Flagella and cilia Singular: flagellum and cilium; extensions of cytoplasm enclosed by the plasma membrane that project from the cell
wall; made of two microtubules surrounded by nine others (a 9 + 2 structure); cilia same structure but shorter; are
used as locomotor structures by algae and protists; the only flagellated cells in plants are the motile sperm of mosses,
liverworts, ferns, cycads, and ginkgo
CLIFFSQUICKREVIEW