Monday, November 22, 2010

Cell structure

In a cell there are many different parts and each of them has a different function. The cell wall(found only in plant cells) are there to support plant cells. The cell wall's main purpose is support. It gives the cell the basic shape and helps to hold it together, however it has other functions such as protecting the cell, and maintaining the pressure in the cell. Next is the cell membrane which is found in both animal and plant cells. One thing I've learned from this past is the term "Selectively Permeable". This means that the cell membrane decides what is let into the cell, and what is let out. In the center of the cell, you find the Nucleus. The nucleus is like the brain of the cell. It sends information all throughout the cell, and regulates the cells activity. Inside the nucleus, you find the Nucleolus. The nucleolus is where the ribosomes are located, which produce protein and amino acids. Coming out of the nucleus, is the Endoplasmic reticulum. It transports stuff like protein and sends signals throughout the cell. The rough ER is full of ribosomes and protein and is part of the endoplasmic reticulum. The smooth ER is the other part of the Endoplasmic Reticulum. The mitochondria are outside of the nucleus of a cell, in the cytoplasm. Cytoplasm is basically food for the cell. The mitochondria break things down for energy. The vacuole is a spot in the cytoplasm that holds waste and water. The Chloroplast is something that is found only in plant cells, and holds chloroplast which is what makes plants green, and also makes them able to go through photosynthesis. The centrisomes are by the nucleus. They contain the centrioles, which are microtubes that are used during mitosis. Golgi Bodies are the part of the cells that recieve the protein from the other parts. The last part of a cell is the amyloplast, which stores starch and turns it to sugar for when the cell needs it. Those are most of the basic parts of a cell. There are still many other things i'd like to learn about cells though. I understand most of a cells functions but I can never remember the phases of mitosis of cells. That's one of the things I'd like to learn a little bit more about.

http://www.celldiagram.net/