Lecture 1 Mar. 1/12
Cellular Form and Function
Important Cell Components
Animal Specific
•Lysosome: Degrades unneeded cellular components
•Extracellular matrix: Determines cell shape, development and cell adhesion
•Cell adhesion: Ability to stick to other cells
Plant Specific
•Chloroplast: used in photosynthesis
•Vacuole: 1) Acts as animal lysosome
2) Stores small molecules/proteins
•Cell wall: provides structural support
General
•Cytoplasm: Content of the cell outside nucleus, includes all organelles except nucleus
•Cytosol: Aqueous part of cytoplasm, does not include organelles, does include
proteins, ribosomes and cytoskeleton
•Lumen: The inside of organelles, does not include nucleus
Cell membranes
•Composed of: 1) Lipid bilayer
2) Membrane proteins
Lipid bilayer
•Lipids composed of broad group of hydrophobic or amphiphilic molecules
•Fats waxes, sterols, glycerides, phospholipids etc.
•The bilayer is amphiphilic, collection of many different lipids
•Hydrophobic polar head
•Hydrophobic nonpolar tail
Phospholipids
•Most abundant component of lipid bilayer
1