Cells!

Muse 2430 Lecture #2

5/8/13

Chapter 3
Cells
vary in size
possess
distinctive
shapes
measured in
micrometers

An Introduction to Cells

Sex cells (germ cells)

Reproductive cells
Male sperm

Female oocyte (a cell that develops into an egg)

Somatic cells (soma = body)

All body cells except sex cells

Cell Membrane

The Plasma Membrane

Cell Membrane

The proteins are divided into two categories: integral and peripheral.
The integral proteins form the majority of membrane proteins. They penetrate
and are embedded in the bilayer, bound to the nonpolar tail regions.
The transmembrane proteins span the bilayer completely and may form
channels (pores) for transport of substances across the membrane.
Integral proteins also may lie partly submerged in one side or the other.
They have several functions.
Some integral proteins serve as cell surface enzymes.
Integral proteins bound to carbohydrates may form receptor
sites for chemical messages from other cells, such as endocrine
glands.
Some also function as markers, or antigens, which identify cell
types.
The peripheral proteins are loosely bound to the membrane surface and can be
easily removed from it. Their functions are not as well known as those of integral
proteins. They may be involved in structural support and changes in membrane
shape during cell division or cell movement.

Structure of the Plasma

Membrane

Intercellular Junctions
Tight junctions
close space between
cells
located among cells
Desmosomes
that
form
linings
form
spot
welds between cells
located among outer skin cells

Gap junctions

tubular channels between cells

located in cardiac muscle cells

The cytoplasm contains a complex

network of structural components
Microfilaments
Structure
Microfilaments are solid thread-like cylinders made of
protein and found in a variety of sites within the cell.
Function
Microfilaments are responsible for contractility of cells,
which is a property of all cells but is especially well
developed in muscle cells.
Contractility is responsible for cell locomotion and
movements associated with phagocytosis, pinocytosis, and
cell division.

Cell Adhesion Molecules

guide cells on the move
selectin allows white
blood cells to anchor
integrin guides white
blood cells through
capillary
walls
important
for growth of
embryonic tissue
important for growth
of nerve cells

Structural Components
Microtubules
Structure
Microtubules are hollow tubes present everywhere in the
cytoplasm in all cells.
They are composed of protein tubulin molecules.

Function
Microtubules contribute to the cytoskeleton, or supporting
elements, of the cell.
They also are involved in cell division, cell movements,
and the transport of materials from one area of the cell to
another.

Cytoplasmic Organelles
Microfilaments and
microtubules
thin rods and tubules
support cytoplasm
allows for movement of
Inclusions
organelles
temporary
nutrients and
pigments

Movements Into and

Out of the Cell
Passive (Physical)
Processes
require no
cellular energy
simple diffusion
facilitated
diffusion
osmosis

Active (Physiological) Proc

require cellular energy
active transport
endocytosis
exocytosis
transcytosis

Simple Diffusion
movement of substances from regions of
higher concentration to regions of lower
concentration
oxygen, carbon dioxide and lipid-soluble
substances

Osmosis
movement of water through a
selectively permeable membrane from
regions of higher concentration to
regions of lower concentration
water moves toward a higher
concentration of solutes

Osmosis
Osmotic Pressure ability of osmosis to generate
enough pressure to move a volume of water
Osmotic pressure increases as the concentration
of nonpermeable solutes increases
hypertonic
higher osmotic
pressure
hypotonic
lower osmotic
pressure

Facilitated Diffusion
In facilitated diffusion, the carrier substance combines with the solute
molecules to form a solute-carrier complex, which is soluble in the lipidbilayer, and thus transports the solute across the membrane.
Once on the other side, the solute is released. The carrier breaks away from
the complex, returns to the exterior of the membrane, and repeats the
process.
The carriers exhibit specificity; i.e. they are highly selective in
distinguishing between closely related molecules.
Facilitated diffusion can be inhibited by competitive and noncompetitive
inhibitor molecules, which closely resemble the solute molecules.
The rate of passage of a solute through facilitated diffusion depends on:
its concentration difference on both sides of the membrane
the number of carrier molecules available
how rapidly the solute-carrier complex formation takes place.

Filtration

smaller molecules are forced through porous m

hydrostatic pressure important in the body
molecules leaving blood capillaries

Active Transport
carrier molecules transport substances
across a membrane from regions of lower
concentration to regions of higher
concentration
sugars, amino acids, sodium ions, potassium
ions, etc.

Transport in Vesicles
Vesicle - a small spherical sac formed by budding off
from a membrane
Endocytosis - materials move into a cell in a vesicle
formed from the plasma membrane
three types: receptor-mediated endocytosis
phagocytosis
bulk-phase endocytosis (pinocytosis)
Exocytosis - vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane,
releasing their contents into the extracellular fluid
Transcytosis - a combination of endocytosis and
exocytosis

Phagocytosis

Endocytosis

Transcytosis
endocytosis followed by exocytosis
transports a substance rapidly through a cell
HIV crossing a cell layer

Exocytosis

reverse of endocytosis
substances in a vesicle fuse with cell membran
contents released outside the cell
release of neurotransmitters from nerve cells

Nucleus

Structure
The nuclear envelope consists of a double membrane separated by the perinuclear space.
The inner membrane is smooth. The outer membrane often contains ribosomes and
is continuous with the surrounding ER.
The inner and outer membranes fuse at irregular intervals around the nucleus to
form nuclear pores, which allow for exchange of materials between the nucleus and
the cytoplasm.
Chromatin appears as irregular clumps or granules material dispersed throughout the
nucleus.
Chromatin is composed of coiled strands of DNA bound to basic proteins called
histones, varying amounts of RNA, and other nonhistone proteins and enzyme
systems.
In a dividing cell, the chromatin is condensed and coiled into discrete units, the
chromosomes. Human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes.
The nucleoplasm is the matrix that surrounds the chromatin. It is composed of proteins,
metabolites, and ions.
The nucleolus is a spherical structure composed of RNA and protein. The size of the
nucleolus and the number present vary in different cell types. It is missing in cells that
do not synthesize protein, such as spermatozoa. It is the site of ribosome production

Ribosomes
Structure
Ribosomes are small granules composed of ribosomal RNA and
almost 80 different proteins.
They occur as individual granules or in clusters called
polyribosomes.
They may be free in the cytoplasm (free ribosomes) or attached to the
membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Function
Ribosomes are the site of protein synthesis.
Free ribosomes are involved in the synthesis of proteins for the cells
own use; for example, in the renewal of enzymes and membranes.
Attached ribosomes are the site of synthesis of proteins that are
secretory products to be released from the cell.

Golgi Apparatus
Function
The Golgi apparatus is the site of accumulation, concentration, packaging,
and chemical modification of the secretory products synthesized on the
rough ER.
The transport vesicles pinch off from the ER and carry the secretions to the
Golgi apparatus, where the secretions fuse with its cisternae.
The large condensing vacuoles concentrate the secretion and package them to
become secretory granules.
Secretory granules, which are large, densely packed, membrane-bounded
structures, unload their contents via exocytosis upon nervous or hormonal
stimulation.
The Golgi apparatus also chemically modifies the molecules synthesized in the
ER for incorporation into the plasma membrane. It adds fatty acid residues to
certain proteins to convert them to lipoproteins, and it synthesizes and attaches
carbohydrate side chains to proteins to form glvcoproteins.
The Golgi apparatus processes proteins that function intracellularly, such as the
lysosome enzymes.

Golgi Complex

The cell cycle and mitosis

The cell cycle, in cells that are capable of dividing,
refers to the events in a cells life span in the
period between the time it was formed by cell
division to the beginning of the next cell division.
The greatest portion of the cycle (about 90%) is
devoted to growth and synthesis, called interphase,
with a smaller portion devoted to nuclear and cell
division, or mitosis.

The Cell Cycle

Stem and Progenitor Cells

Mitosis = cell copying

The
End