Parts of the Cell: Pizza Delivery Shop Sarah Quasarano and Brooke Tushman

Ribosomes: the “Oven” of the cell  Ribosomes are responsible for the creation of proteins within the cell. If ribosomes were to malfunction, the cell would not be able to survive because no proteins would be made to carry out usual cell behavior.  In the same way ribosomes make proteins which are vital to the cell, ovens make pizza which is essential for a pizza delivery shop.

Plasma Membrane: the “Building” of the cell  The plasma membrane is the boundary between a cell and it’s environment. It controls what goes in and out of the cell. If the membrane were to stop functioning, important materials for the cell might not be able to enter it, and toxins and wastes that should leave might be stuck inside, compromising the cell.  The walls of the pizza shop resemble the membrane because they are a boundary between the inside and outside of the pizza shop. Things such as the doors and windows resemble the membrane because they regulate what can enter and exit the shop.

Chromosomes: the “Pizza Recipe” of the cell  In the cell, chromosomes are thread like structures in the nuclei of cells that contain the instructions for making offspring unique while still containing their parents’ DNA. Without functioning chromosomes, mutations in DNA can occur to cause a variety of disorders and disabilities.  The chromosomes would function as the recipe for the pizza because in the cell they contain the information necessary for the cell to function correctly. Similarly, a pizza place could not function correctly without the recipe to the pizza served there.

Endoplasmic Reticulum: the “Kitchen” of the cell  The ER serves as a site for protein and lipid synthesis in the cell, as well as removes toxins from the cell. If the rough ER stopped functioning, the proteins wouldn’t be transported to the Golgi apparatus and the cell would lack necessary enzymes. If the smooth ER stopped functioning, the cell would not be able to detoxify substances, and the cell would fail.  The Rough ER would be the part of the kitchen that cooks and contains the ovens, stoves, etc., because it is responsible for making the pizzas (proteins)  The Smooth ER would be the part of the kitchen that is responsible for cleaning, such as the sinks or garbage cans, because it deals with the detoxification and cleaning of the cell.

Golgi Apparatus: the “Delivery Boy” of the cell  The Golgi Apparatus packages proteins into vesicles and sends them to their destinations. Without a Golgi Apparatus, lysosomes would not be able to have digestive enzymes, causing a build up of materials, and disallowing secretion.  The Golgi Apparatus would be the delivery boy in the pizza place because it is responsible for packaging and sending vesicles to their destinations in the same way a delivery boy packages pizzas into their boxes, and sends them to their destinations (customer’s homes).

Nucleus: the “Owner of the Pizza Shop” of the cell  The nucleus functions by regulating the activities of the cell and controlling gene expression. Without a functioning nucleus, the cell would lose it’s ability to function and begin to die.  The nucleus is similar to the owner of the pizza shop because it contains information important to the cell and tells the cell what to do. The owner of a pizza place would tell workers what to do, and also know the recipes of the pizza so that it could function better.

Nucleolus: the “Assistant to the Owner” of the cell  The nucleolus functions to rewrite ribosomal RNA and combine it with proteins in order to form incomplete ribosomes. If the nucleolus stopped functioning no ribosomes, and therefore no proteins, would be created.  The nucleolus is like an assistant to the owner of the pizza shop because they help remember and repeat recipes, as well as transfer orders from the owner, but do not create them and are a smaller part of the management, similarly to how the nucleolus is a smaller part of the nucleus.

Vesicle: the “Pizza Boxes” of the cell  Vesicles are used to transfer materials from one place to the other. If vesicles didn't’t work in a cell, then the cell would result in death. Vesicles are important in moving substances in and out of cells. Without the movement of these important things, cells wouldn't’t get what they need to have and get rid of.  Vesicles are like the pizza boxes because they are what packages and protects the pizza (proteins). The vesicles keep the proteins safe until they reach their final destination, in this case the destination would be the customers.

Vacuoles: the “heater” of the cell  Vacuoles function by holding materials and wastes in the cell. Often the largest organelle in a cell, they also provide structure and control the pressure of the cell. Without a functioning vacuole, cells would not have an area to store wastes and could be poisoned, and problems with pressure revelation would not allow the cell to survive.  In the same way that vacuoles store materials until they are needed or ready, a heater in a pizza shop stores the pizza, keeping it warm, until it is ready for consumption or is no longer edible and considered waste. This “storage compartment” is fitting to both a heater and vacuoles in a cell.

Lysosomes: the “Trash Can” of the cell  Lysosomes are the key organelles involved in digestion and the removal of wastes in the cell. Without them, a cell could become toxic or not have the necessary means to dispose of it’s waste products.  The lysosomes are like a trash can because trash cans are how places, remove their waste products. If expired food were to be left out in a place with no trash cans, the restaurant would be poisoned by viruses that could spread, making trash cans as vital to pizza shops as lysosomes are to cells.

Mitochondria: the “Furnace” of the cell  Mitochondria preforms cellular respiration by breaking down nutrients in the cell and turning it into energy. Without the mitochondria, the cell would not be able to produce or use any energy and would not be functional due to the mitochondria’s various functions beyond cellular respiration.  In a pizza shop, the furnace would be what primarily powers the restaurant and provides it with energy. Without energy in the pizza shop, it would not be functional as it relies on the energy it provides, just as the cell relies on energy form the mitochondria.

Chloroplasts: the “Solar Panels” of the cell  Chloroplasts, which are only found in plant cells, are the organelle responsible for photosynthesis. Without photosynthesis, plants could not convert the sun’s energy into sugars that the cell could use. Without photosynthesis the cell would perish.  Chloroplasts are only found in plant cells in the same way that solar panels are only found in certain pizza shops. Solar panels convert energy from the sun into energy that can support the pizza shop the way photosynthesis is carried out in a cell.

Cytoskeleton: the “Load Bearing Walls” of the cell  The function of the cytoskeleton is to form a framework for organelles to move around. It proves shape and structure for the cell. Without the cytoskeleton, there wouldn’t be a track for chromosomes to move along. Without this, there wouldn’t be processes like mitosis or cytokinesis.  Load Bearing Walls in a building are the primary source of it’s structure; without them, the building would not be able to support itself and would collapse. The cytoskeleton provides the same kind of necessary structure to the cell.

Cytosol: the “Waiters” of the cell  Cytosol has many functions to complete throughout the cytoplasm. Many of them relate to transporting items around the cell to and from organelles. Without cytosol, there would be no way for the organelles to move because they would have no where to move through.  Cytosol in the cell is similar to the waiters in a restaurant because they are responsible for the allowance of movement and fluidity across the pizza place. Without the waiters, the movement of pizza throughout the restaurant would not occur.