NUR11O1Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology

Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
LECTURE EXERCISE NO.3
CELL STRUCTURES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

Name: Section: Date Submitted:

I. INTRODUCTION
The cell is the basic unit of life. The cells in the human body provide structure for the
body, take in nutrients from food, convert those nutrients into energy, and carry out
specific functions. Cells also contain the body’s genetic material and can make copies of
themselves.
II. ACCOMPLISH THE ACTIVITY TABLE 1.
GUIDE QUESTIONS
3.01A.Explain how the structures of a cell
contribute to its function.
3.02A. List the four main functions of a cell.
3.03A. Describe the structure of the cell
membrane.
3.04A. Define diffusion and concentration
gradient.
3.04B. Explain the role of osmosis and that
of osmotic pressure in controlling the
movement of water across the cell
membrane. Compare hypotonic, isotonic,
and hypertonic solutions. Describe how each
of these solutions affects the shape of a cell.
ANSWERS
Organelles are a type of structure found inside cells.
These organelles work in the same way as organs do in
humans to keep the cell alive. Each organelle serves a
specific purpose in the cell's existence. A eukaryotic
cell's nucleus directs the cell's functions and stores
DNA.
Provides structure and support, transport process,
waste removal and produces energy.
The majority of phospholipids in a cell membrane
allow water to pass through, and some proteins may
be required to help transfer chemicals through the
membrane.
Diffusion is the net movement of molecules from a
higher concentration area to a lower concentration
area. This is related to the molecules' random
mobility. The concentration gradient is the differential
in a substance's concentration between two areas.
The steeper the concentration gradient and the faster
the molecules of a substance disperse, the greater the
difference.
Osmosis causes water flows from a low-solute-
concentration area to a high-solute-concentration
area until the two areas have the same ratio of solute
to water. The pressure that must be provided to a
solution to prevent the inward flow of water through a
semipermeable membrane is known as osmotic
pressure.

Isotonic solutions have equal osmotic pressures,

hypotonic solutions have a lower osmotic pressure,
and hypertonic solutions have a high osmotic

©
Biofacultymember2020
NUR11O1Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
3.04C. Define carrier-mediated transport,
and compare the processes of facilitated
diffusion, active transport, and secondary
active transport.
3.04D. Describe endocytosis and exocytosis.
3.05A. Describe the structure and function
of the nucleus and the nucleoli. Describe the
structure of chromatin.
3.05B. Compare the structure and function
of rough and smooth endoplasmic
reticulum.
pressure.
In an isotonic solution, cells keep their form. Cells in a
hypotonic solution swell as water enters the cell, and
if the concentration gradient between the inside and
outside of the cell is significant enough, the cell may
explode. As water departs the cell, it shrinks and
becomes shriveled in a hypertonic solution.
Small hydrophilic molecules commonly use carrier-
mediated transport, which is an energy-dependent
process.
The movement of chemicals across a biological
membrane from a high-concentration location to a
low-concentration area with the help of a transport
molecule is known as facilitated diffusion. While active
transport is the process of moving molecules across a
cellular membrane using cellular energy, passive
transport is the process of moving molecules across a
cellular membrane without the use of cellular energy.
The energy accumulated in these gradients is used to
move other substances against their own gradients in
secondary active transport.
endocytosis is the invagination of the cell surface to
produce an intracellular membrane–bounded vesicle
containing extracellular fluid. While exocytosis is the
fusing of a plasma membrane–bounded vesicle to the
cell surface followed by release of its contents.
The nucleus of a cell is a membrane-bound structure
that houses the cell's genetic information and
regulates its growth and reproduction. The nucleus
directs and regulates the cell's functions and
carries the genes, which hold the cell's genetic
information.
The nucleoli, which form around certain chromosomal
areas, are made up of RNA and proteins. It aids
ribosome biogenesis by allowing rRNA to be processed
and assembled into preribosomal particles.
The material that makes up a chromosome, which is
made up of DNA and protein, is called chromatin. They
serve as packaging elements for DNA, allowing all of
the DNA to be contained within a cell.
The rough endoplasmic reticulum is a series of
flattened sacs that plays a key function in protein
production.
©
Biofacultymember2020
NUR11O1Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
3.05C. Describe the roles of the Golgi
apparatuses and secretory vesicles in
secretion.
3.05D. Explain the role of lysosomes and
peroxisomes in digesting material taken into
cells by phagocytosis.
3.05E. Describe the structure and function
of mitochondria.
3.05F. Describe the structure and function of
the cytoskeleton.
3.05G. Describe the structure and function
of centrioles.
3.05H. Compare the structure and function
of cilia, flagella, and microvilli.
3.06A. Describe the process of gene
The smooth endoplasmic reticulum is a meshwork of
fine disk-like tubular membrane vesicles that plays a
role in lipid synthesis and storage, including
cholesterol and phospholipids.
A Golgi apparatus is a cell organelle that aids in the
processing and packaging of proteins and lipid
molecules, particularly proteins destined for cell
export. The secretory vesicle is a vesicle that
transports cargo from an organelle to certain sites on
the cell membrane, where it docks and fuses to
release its contents.
Lysosomes serve as the cell's digestive system,
digesting material taken in from outside the cell as
well as digesting obsolete components within the cell.
All of the enzymes in the lysosome function best at an
acid pH, which decreases the chance of them digesting
their own cell if they escape.
Peroxisomes are involved in metabolism, the
detoxification of reactive oxygen species, and
signaling.
Mitochondria are membrane-bound cell organelles
that produce the majority of the chemical energy
required by the cell's metabolic activities. The
adenosine triphosphate is a tiny molecule that stores
the chemical energy created by mitochondria.
Microtubules, actin filaments, and intermediate
filaments make up a cell's cytoskeleton. These
structures give the cell its shape and aid in the
organization of its components. The cytoskeleton
serves as a foundation for cell mobility and division.
Centrioles are two barrel-shaped organelles found
near the nuclear envelope in the cytoplasm of animal
cells. Centrioles assist in the organization of
microtubules, which act as the skeletal structure of
the cell. They aid in determining the nucleus' and
other organelles' positions within the cell.
Cilia are short, hair-like structures that move complete
cells or substances over the cell's outer surface.
Flagella are minute hair-like features that let a cell
move about. Flagella have a whip-like appearance and
aid in propelling a cell through liquid. Microvilli are
nonmotile finger-like protrusions from epithelial cells'
apical surface that act to increase cell surface area and
absorption efficiency.
Gene expression is the process by which a cell reads
©
Biofacultymember2020
NUR11O1Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern University
expression.
3.06B. Explain what is accomplished during
mitosis.
3.06C. Define differentiationand explain how
different cell types develop.
3.07A. List the major theories of aging.
the genetic instructions written in DNA to generate
the molecule it requires. To do so, the cell decodes the
genetic code and adds one of the 20 distinct amino
acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, to
each group of three letters.
Mitosis, also known as cell division, is the process by
which a single cell divides into two identical daughter
cells. Mitosis is the process through which one cell
divides into two identical cells. Mitosis is primarily
responsible for cell growth and replacement.
The process through which a cell undergoes changes
in gene expression to become a more particular form
of cell is known as cellular differentiation, or simply
cell differentiation. Cell differentiation permits multi-
cellular animals to establish cell kinds and body
designs that are uniquely functional. Genetics and
their interplay with the environment influence the
process of cell differentiation.
- Disengagement Theory
- Activity Theory
- The Neuroendocrine Theory
- The Free Radical Theory
- The Membrane Theory of Aging
- The Decline Theory
- The Cross-Linking Theory

III. CONCLUSION: Make general statement (Maximum of three sentences on what you have
learned on this activity.

This task assisted me in determining the structure of the cells as well as their primary roles. We all know
that cells are the basic building blocks of all living things, and it's important for us to understand what
they do and how they work, even though they're the tiniest form of life, because cells are the biological
machinery that creates the proteins, chemicals, and signals that control everything that happens inside
our bodies. Understanding how organisms function, the cellular components that work together to carry
out life functions, and the cellular mechanisms that enable organisms to meet their basic needs are all
aided by studying cells.

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Biofacultymember2020