Cell Structure and Function Module Overview

Have you ever heard of the phrase, "living in a bubble?" What if the city you lived in suddenly became trapped under a giant dome-like bubble? The highways and roadways would probably become heavily congested with automobiles as people tried to find help or a way to exit the city. You may want to stock up on supplies and food at your local supermarket. You may seek answers and advice on what to do to next from city officials and the mayor. This may sound like a science fiction movie, but inside our bodies we have cells that are made up of organelles. A barrier keeps the organelles confined within a cell. In this module, you will learn how the organelles within a cell help it function like the many departments of a city.

Essential Questions

How can living things be distinguished from non-living things?
What are the necessary processes that all living things must be able to do in order to live and continue their species?
How do cell structures (organelles) interact and contribute to the functioning of the cell?
How do cells take in nutrients in order to grow and divide and to make needed materials?
How do cells maintain homeostasis in changing environments?

Key Terms

Anaphase - In eukaryotic cells, the spindle fibers pull the sister chromatids to opposite ends of the cell.
Cancer - Abnormal cell growth caused by uncontrolled cell division.
Cell theory - A principle that describes the cell as the fundamental unit of all living organisms. A principle that describes the properties of an organism as the sum of the properties of its component cells.
Cell - The smallest structural unit of an organism that is capable of independent functioning, consisting of one or more nuclei, cytoplasm, and various organelles, all surrounded by a semipermeable cell membrane.
Cell membrane - The semipermeable membrane that encloses the cytoplasm of a cell. It is also called the plasma membrane.
Cell wall - The rigid outermost cell layer found in plants and certain algae, bacteria, and fungi but characteristically absent from animal cells.
Centrioles - One of two cylindrical cellular structures that are composed of nine triplet microtubules and form the asters during mitosis.
Chloroplasts - A chlorophyll-containing plastid found in algal and green plant cells.
Cytokinesis - The splitting of the cytoplasm.
Cytoplasm - The clear gel-like fluid found outside the nucleus of a cell.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - A nucleic acid that carries the genetic information in the cell and is capable of self-replication and synthesis of RNA.
Endoplasmic reticulum - A membrane network within the cytoplasm of cells involved in the synthesis, modification, and transport of cellular materials.
Food vacuole - A vesicle in which water, nutrients, food, and other materials are stored.
Golgi complex - A complex of parallel, flattened sacs, vesicles, and vacuoles that lies adjacent to the nucleus of a cell and is concerned with the formation of secretions within the cell. Also called Golgi apparatus.
Lysosomes - Single, membrane-bound sacs that contain digestive enzymes.
Metaphase - In eukaryotic cells, the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell.
Mitochondria - A spherical or elongated organelle in the cytoplasm of nearly all eukaryotic cells, containing enzymes important for cell metabolism, including those responsible for the conversion of food to usable energy.
Nucleus - A large, membrane-bound, usually spherical protoplasmic structure within a living cell, containing the cell's hereditary material and controlling its metabolism, growth, and reproduction.
Nucleolus - A small, typically round granular body composed of protein and RNA in the nucleus of a cell. It is usually associated with a specific chromosomal site and involved in ribosomal RNA synthesis and the formation of ribosomes.
Nutrients - A source of nourishment, especially a nourishing ingredient in a food.
Organelles - A differentiated structure within a cell, such as a mitochondrion, vacuole, or chloroplast. It performs a specific function.
Prophase - In eukaryotic cells, the chromosomes condense and the nuclear membrane begins to disappear.
Ribosome - Small particles, present in large numbers in every living cell, whose function is to convert stored genetic information into protein molecules.
Telophase - In eukaryotic cells, a nuclear membrane begins to form around each of the two new daughter cells.

Complete the activity below to review cell function and key terms.

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