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1: Cellular Organization and Organelles

Although all cells share certain characteristics (for example, every cell has a plasma
membrane), biologists recognize two fundamentally different categories of cells:
prokaryotic and eukaryotic.

We compartmentalize cells into several structures with specific functions in the cell.
We call these structures organelles. Organelles are subunits in the anatomy of the
cell. The advantage of compartmentalization inside the cell is that many different
functions can be localized in specific places. This brings about a high level of
organization and efficiency for the cell. In this section we discuss the structures and
functions of the different parts of the cell.

o Cell StructureBook
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Read this chapter to learn about important organelles. Most of these
organelles are membrane-bounded and only appear in eukaryotic cells,
which are structurally more complex than prokaryotic cells from which
they evolved. Pay close attention to Figure 1 and to the differences in
animal cells, plant cells, and bacterial cells.
o Here is a summary of the organelles you should recognize:
 Cell wall – surrounds the plasma membrane of plant cells to provide
strength and protection; found in most prokaryotic and some
eukaryotic cells (but not animal cells)
 Central vacuole – regulates the cell's water concentration; membrane-
bounded; found only in some eukaryotic cells, including plants and
some protists
 Chloroplasts – organelle in plants where photosynthesis occurs;
membrane-bounded; found only in photosynthetic eukaryotic cells
(plants and algae)
 Golgi body – helps process and package proteins and lipid molecules;
membrane-bounded; found only in eukaryotic cells
 Lysosomes – digest food and waste materials; membrane-bounded;
found only in eukaryotic cells
 Mitochondrion – organelle called the "powerhouses" or "energy
factories" where ATP is made; membrane-bounded; found only in most
eukaryotic cells
 Nucleus – houses the cell's DNA and directs the synthesis of
ribosomes and proteins; membrane-bounded; found only in eukaryotic
cells
  Peroxisome – compartment for oxidation reactions, involved in lipid
biosynthesis; membrane-bounded; found only in eukaryotic cells
 Plasma (cell) membrane – the cell membrane which protects the cell;
found in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells Ribosome – decodes the
message and forms peptide bonds for protein synthesis; not
membrane-bounded; found in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
 Rough endoplasmic reticulum – produces, folds and dispatches
proteins; membrane-bounded; found only in eukaryotic cells
 Smooth endoplasmic reticulum – produces lipids, steroid hormones,
and detoxifies harmful metabolic byproducts; membrane-bounded;
found only in eukaryotic cells

After you read, respond to these review questions:

12. In your everyday life, you have probably noticed that certain
instruments are ideal for certain situations. For example, you would
use a spoon rather than a fork to eat soup because a spoon is shaped
for scooping, while soup would slip between the tines of a fork. The
use of ideal instruments also applies in science. In what situation(s)
would the use of a light microscope be ideal, and why?
13. In what situation(s) would the use of a scanning electron microscope
be ideal, and why?
14. In what situation(s) would a transmission electron microscope be ideal,
and why?
15. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these types of
microscopes?
16. Antibiotics are medicines that are used to fight bacterial infections.
These medicines kill prokaryotic cells without harming human cells.
What part or parts of the bacterial cell do you think antibiotics target?
Why?
17. Why are some microbes not harmful?
18. You already know that ribosomes are abundant in red blood cells. In
what other cells of the body would you find them in great abundance?
Why?
19. What are the structural and functional similarities and differences
between mitochondria and chloroplasts?
20. In the context of cell biology, what do we mean by form follows
function? What are at least two examples of this concept?
21. In your opinion, is the nuclear membrane part of the endomembrane
system? Why or why not?
 22. What are the similarities and differences between the structures of
centrioles and flagella?
23. How do cilia and flagella differ?
24. How does the structure of a plasmodesma differ from that of a gap
junction?
25. How does the extracellular matrix function?

o Parts of a CellPage
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Watch this lecture for a visual tour of the organelles of the cell.

o Types of CellsPage
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Watch these short videos for another look at the different types of cells
(prokaryotes and eukaryotes), intracellular and extracellular fluid, the
nucleolus which builds ribosomes, and the other organelles, such as the
mitochondria which create ATP from glucose, ribosomes, and
chloroplasts, that inhabit them. Again, it is important to know the
structures and functions of each organelle. The final video in the series
discusses the cytoskeleton which is made out of protein filaments and
helps with cell movement.
After you have watched the series of videos, you should be able to
describe the structure and function of all organelles in the cell, explain
how organelles control protein synthesis in the cytoplasm, discuss the
difference in organelles between plant and animal cells, list the
components of the endomembrane system, describe the energy
conversions carried out by mitochondria and chloroplasts, and describe
the functions of the cytoskeleton.