The Cellular Level of Organization 1

 A cell is the basic, living, structural, and functional unit of the body.  Cytology is the study of cell structure, and cell physiology is the study of cell function. 2

 A generalized view of the cell is a composite of many different cells in the body.  No single cell includes all of the features seen in the generalized cell. 3

 The cell can be divided into three principal parts for ease of study.  Plasma (cell) membrane  Cytoplasm › Cytosol › Organelles (except for the nucleus)  Nucleus 4

 Flexible but sturdy barrier that surround cytoplasm of cell  Fluid mosaic model describes its structure › “sea of lipids in which proteins float like icebergs” › membrane is 50 % lipid & 50 % protein  held together by hydrogen bonds › lipid is barrier to entry or exit of substances › proteins are “gatekeepers” -- regulate traffic  50 lipid molecules for each protein molecule 5

 The lipid bilayer is the basic framework of the plasma membrane and is made up of three types of lipid molecules: phospholipids, cholesterol, and glycolipids. 6

 Plasma membranes are selectively permeable. › Some things can pass through and others cannot.  The membrane is also permeable to water. 7

 A concentration gradient is the difference in the concentration of a chemical between one side of the plasma membrane and the other. 8

 Processes to move substances across the cell membrane are essential to the life of the cell.  Some substances cross the lipid bilayer while others cross through ion channels.  Transport processes that move substances across the cell membrane are either active or passive. 9

 Three types of passive processes are › diffusion through the lipid bilayer › diffusion through ion channels › facilitated diffusion › passive processes do not require energy expenditure  Active transport requires cellular energy.  Materials can also enter or leave the cell through vesicle transport. 10

 Substances cross membranes by a variety of processes: › active transport uses ATP to drive substances against their concentration gradients, moves from an area of lower to higher concentration, cell must expend energy. 11

› passive transport moves substances down their concentration gradient with only their kinetic energy, moves from an area of higher concentration to lower concentration, cell does not expend energy. › vesicular transport move materials across membranes in small vesicles -- either by exocytosis or endocytosis 12

 Diffusion is the random mixing of particles that occurs in a solution as a result of the kinetic energy of the particles.  Diffusion rate across plasma membranes is influenced by several factors: › Steepness of the concentration gradient › Temperature › Size or mass of the diffusing substance › Surface area › Diffusion distance. 13

 It is important for gas exchange, absorption of some nutrients, and excretion of some wastes. 14

 Osmosis is the net movement of a solvent through a selectively permeable membrane.  Osmosis occurs only when the membrane is permeable to water but not to certain solutes. 15

 In facilitated diffusion, a solute binds to a specific transporter on one side of the membrane and is released on the other side after the transporter undergoes a change.  Solutes that move across membranes by facilitated diffusion include glucose, urea, fructose, galactose, and some vitamins.  Rate of movement depends upon › steepness of concentration gradient › number of transporter proteins (transport maximum) 16

 Active transport is an energy- requiring process that moves solutes such as ions, amino acids, and monosaccharide's against a concentration gradient.  In primary active transport, energy derived from ATP changes the shape of a transporter protein, which pumps a substance across a plasma membrane against its concentration gradient. 17

 Cystic fibrosis is caused by a defective gene that produces an abnormal chloride ion to be transported. The disease affects the respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems. 18

 Digitalis allows more calcium to stay inside heart muscle cells, which increases the force of their contraction and thus strengthens the heartbeat. 19

 A vesicle is a small membranous sac formed by budding off from an existing membrane. › endocytosis › exocytosis 20

 Endocytosis = bringing something into cell › phagocytosis = cell eating by macrophages & WBCs; solid particles.  particle binds to receptor protein  whole bacteria or viruses are engulfed & later digested › pinocytosis = cell drinking; extracellular fluid.  no receptor proteins 21

 Exocytosis = release something from cell  Vesicles form inside cell, fuse to cell membrane  Release their contents  digestive enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters or waste products  replace cell membrane lost by endocytosis 22

 Cytosol, the intracellular fluid, is the semifluid portion of cytoplasm that contains inclusions and dissolved solutes. 23

 Cytosol is composed mostly of water, plus proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and inorganic substances.  The chemicals in cytosol are either in solution or in a suspended form.  Functionally, cytosol is the medium in which many metabolic reactions occur. 24

 Organelles are specialized structures that have characteristic shapes and perform specific functions in cellular growth, maintenance, and reproduction. 25

 Network of protein filaments throughout the cytosol  Functions › cell support and shape › organization of chemical reactions › cell & organelle movement  Continually reorganized 26

 It consists of microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. 27

 Most microfilaments are composed of actin and function in movement and mechanical support. 28

 Intermediate filaments are composed of several different proteins and function in support and to help anchor organelles such as the nucleus. 29

 Microtubules are composed of a protein called tubulin and help determine cell shape and function in the intracellular transport of organelles and the migration of chromosome during cell division. 30

 Centrosomes are dense areas of cytoplasm containing the centrioles, which are paired cylinders arranged at right angles to one another, and serve as centers for organizing microtubules during interphase and the mitotic spindle during cell division. 31

 Cilia are numerous, short, hair- like projections extending from the surface of a cell and functioning to move materials across the surface of the cell.  Flagella are similar to cilia but are much longer; usually moving an entire cell. The only example of a flagellum in the human body is the sperm cell tail. 32

 Cilia › stiff during power stroke but flexible during recovery › many coordinated together › airways & uterine tube  Flagella › single flagella wiggles in a wavelike pattern › propels sperm forward 33

 Composed of Ribosomal RNA & protein  Free ribosomes are loose in cytosol › synthesize proteins found inside the cell  Membrane-bound ribosomes › attached to endoplasmic reticulum or nuclear membrane › synthesize proteins needed for plasma membrane or for export › 10 to 20 together form a polyribosome  Inside mitochondria, ribosomes synthesize mitochondrial proteins 34

 Large + small subunits › made in the nucleolus › assembled in the cytoplasm 35

 The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a network of membranes that form flattened sacs or tubules called cisterns. 36

 Rough ER is continuous with the nuclear membrane and has its outer surface studded with ribosomes.  Smooth ER extends from the rough ER to form a network of membrane tubules but does not contain ribosomes on its membrane surface.  The ER transports substances, stores newly synthesized molecules, synthesizes and packages molecules, detoxifies chemicals, and releases calcium ions involved in muscle contraction. 37

 One of the functions of smooth ER is to detoxify drugs. Repeated exposure to certain drugs produces changes to the smooth ER in the liver which results in tolerance to the drug. 38

 The Golgi complex consists of three to twenty stacked, flattened membranous sacs (cisterns) referred to as cis, medial, and trans. 39

 The principal function of the Golgi complex is to process, sort, and deliver proteins and lipids to the plasma membrane, lysosomes, and secretory vesicles. 40

 membrane-enclosed vesicles that contain powerful digestive enzymes. › internal pH reaches 5.0  Functions › digest foreign substances › maybe involved in bone removal › autophagy  recycles own organelles › autolysis  lysosomal damage after death 41

 Affects children of eastern European- Ashkenazi descent › seizures, muscle rigidity, blind, demented and dead before the age of 5  Genetic disorder caused by absence of single lysosomal enzyme › enzyme normally breaks down glycolipid commonly found in nerve cells › as glycolipid accumulates, nerve cells lose functionality › chromosome testing now available 42

 The mitochondrion is bound by a double membrane.  The outer membrane is smooth with the inner membrane arranged in folds called cristae › surface area for chemical reactions of cellular respiration › central cavity known as matrix 43

 Mitochondria are the site of ATP production in the cell by the catabolism of nutrient molecules.  Powerhouse of the cell.  Mitochondria self-replicate using their own DNA. › increases with need for ATP › circular DNA with 37 genes  Mitochondrial DNA (genes) are usually inherited only from the mother. 44

 Mitochondrial myopathies are inherited muscle disorders resulting from faulty mitochondrial genes. As a result muscles become weak and fatigue easily. 45

 The nucleus is usually the most prominent feature of a cell. 46

 Most body cells have a single nucleus; some (red blood cells) have none, whereas others (skeletal muscle fibers) have several.  The parts of the nucleus include the nuclear envelope which is perforated by channels called nuclear pores, nucleoli, and genetic material (DNA),  Within the nucleus are the cell’s hereditary units, called genes, which are arranged in single file along chromosomes. 47

 The nucleus is the heart of every cell, its control center. Inside the nucleus are forty-six threadlike structures known as chromosomes, and each one of these structures contains thousands of genes. 48

 The main parts of a cell and their functions are summarized in Table 3.2 in your text. 49