CELL STRUCTURE AND

ORGANELLES
 ANIMAL CELL
 Electron
micrograph of a
typical animal cell

Note: mitochondria
in red, nucleus in
peach, endoplasmic
reticulum in blue
 Structures in the animal cell

chromatin nucleus
3
2
nuclear
1 pore nucleolus
4
rough
5a smooth
endoplasmic 5b
reticulum endoplasmic
reticulum vesicle
6

microtubule
17

cytoplasm
7

centriole
16

ribosome vacuole
8
15

14
mitochondria

Golgi9 body

lysosome
13

cell10membrane
vesicle
11
cytoskeleton
12
 PLANT CELL
 Electron
micrograph of a
typical plant cell

Note: mitochondria
in red, nucleus in
green, plastids in
yellow
 lysosome
18
Structures in the plant cell

vacuole
17 nuclear
pore 1
chromatin
2

3
nucleolus
4
chloroplast nuclear
16
membrane

ribosomes
5

endoplasmic
microtubule
15 6
reticulum
7
vesicles

8cell membrane

9
cell wall
microtubule14
10
13
mitochondria cytoplasm
11
Golgi body

cell wall 12
 CELL MEMBRANE
 Functions
of cell
membrane:

protects cell from

outside environment;

keeps cell contents

together;

selectively allows
materials to cross
into & out of cell.
Cell membrane
CELL MEMBRANE

glycocalyx

transmembrane protein
 CELL MEMBRANE
 Phospholipid: composed of a phosphate “head”
and fatty acid “tails.”

 Hydrophilic Head is “water loving” or soluble in water.

Hydrophobic Tails are “water hating” or insoluble in water.

Hydrophilic head

Hydrophobic tail
 Proteins:
“float” around within the membrane or on its surface;

functions include:
structural support
surface binding sites for molecules like hormones

recognition sites for cell to cell communication & interaction

transport molecules across the membrane

transport electrons & protons within the membrane

 Cell Membrane
Glycocalyx:

carbohydrate chains attached to proteins (glycoproteins),

involved in recognition & communication proteins,

points for cell to cell attachment

Cholesterol:

keeps the phospholipids stable and helps retain the

membrane‘s shape
 MITOCHONDRIA
 Mitochondria are the site of aerobic
cellular respiration
 Cellular respiration is the process
that converts sugar energy into
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for
storage
 (overall reaction: glucose + O2 
CO2 + H2O + ATP energy)
 ATP is used by other organelles &
cell processes for energy
 MITOCHONDRIA
 outer membrane – protects and
controls entry of materials

 inner membrane –
folded into cristae

 intermembrane space
cytosol containing ions
 MITOCHONDRIAL STRUCTURES

 Cristae: site of chemical

reactions using
embedded proteins
 Matrix: mitochondrion
cytosol
 Mitochondrial DNA: self
replicating organelle,
produces its own unique
proteins
 CHLOROPLASTS
 Chloroplasts are found only
in green plants

 They convert sunlight to

chemical energy via
photosynthesis 

 (sunlight + CO2 + H2O -->

glucose + O2)
 CHLOROPLAST STRUCTURES

 Stroma: chloroplast cytosol

 Lamella: membrane that attaches
inner chloroplast structures
 Thylakoid disk: have a
specialized membrane for
photosynthesis
 Grana: stack of thylakoid discs
 Chloroplast DNA: self-
replicating organelle
 NUCLEUS

 Electron micrograph of
a nucleus

Note: nucleolus in center

of nucleus, endoplasmic
reticulum and ribosomes
just outside of nucleus
COMPONENTS OF THE NUCLEUS

 Nucleolus: the densest area within the nucleus; the

location for production of ribosomes

 Chromatin: stringy material made of proteins and DNA that

makes up the majority of the nucleus

 Chromosomes: just before the cell divides thechromatin condenses

into chromosomes
NUCLEUS
CHROMATIN AND CHROMOSOMES

chromatin

chromosomes
 RIBOSOMES

 Ribosomes are
microscopic spheres
attached to the ER or
free-floating in the
cytoplasm

 Ribosomes are protein

factories
 ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM

 The ER is a twisting network of

canals and sacs extending
through the cytoplasm and
connecting the cell membrane to
the nuclear membrane

 The ER may have ribosomes

attached to it (rough ER)

 The ER serves to transport

products (e.g. proteins) within
the cell
 GOLGI APPARATUS

 The Golgi bodies are sacs of

membranous plate-like bags which
produce vesicles (sacs)

 They function to produce and store

cellular secretions

 Many proteins and lipids undergo

final processing in the Golgi
complex
LYSOSOMES

 Membrane bound sacs that

are used for digestion of
various structures within
the cell

 An acidic environment
along with hydrolytic
enzymes within
lysosomes help to digest
particles
CILIA AND FLAGELLA

 Both are made of fine protein fibres

 Both can be used for locomotion

 Cilia: short, may be numerous on cell surface

 Flagella: long, usually few in number on cell

surface