14/15/16 Flashcards
(206 cards)
Extracellular Matrix
Provides structural support to cells and tissues and plays important roles in regulating cell behaviour
Cell Wall
Determines cell shape and prevents cells from swelling/bursting as a result of osmotic pressure
Bacterial Cell Wall Shapes
Rod, spherical, spiral
Gram Negative Bacteria
Dual-membrane system with thin cell wall in between
Gram Positive Bacteria
One plasma membrane surrounded by a much thicker cell wall
Peptidoglycan
Main component of all bacterial cell walls, linear polysaccharide chains cross-linked by short peptides
Cell Wall and Antibiotics
Cell wall structure makes some bacteria vulnerable to some antibiotics
Penicillin
Inhibits the enzyme that forms the cross-links in the cell wall, preventing growth and synthesis
Bacterial Cytoskeletal Proteins
Regulate cell wall synthesis
FtsZ
Cytoskeletal protein that forms a ring structure at the site of bacterial cell division and directs synthesis of a new cell wall
What are cell walls of eukaryotes composed of?
Polysaccharides
Chitin
Forms fungal cell walls and exoskeletons of arthropods
Cell Walls of Algae and Higher Plants
Cellulose
Hemicelluloses
Highly branched polysaccharides H-bonded to the surface of cellulose microfibrils. Provide stability and mechanical strength.
Pectins
Branched polysaccharides with many negatively charged galacturonic acids. Cross-link microfibrils, negative charges bind positive ions to trap water molecules and form gels.
Microfibrils
36 cellulose chains joined in parallel, can extend for many micrometers in length, embedded in a matrix of proteins/pectins/hemicelluloses
Primary Cell Walls
Relatively thin and flexible to allow expansion of a growing cell, equal amounts of cellulose/hemicelluloses/pectins, randomly arranged cellulose fibres
Secondary Cell Walls
Laid down between plasma membrane and primary cell wall after cell wall growth has stopped, no pectins, 50-80% cellulose, highly ordered layers with a strong laminated structure
Lignin
Complex polymer of phenolic residues that gives strength and density to wood
Turgor Pressure/Hydrostatic Pressure
Water builds up in cell, eventually equalizing the osmotic pressure and preventing further influx of water, responsible for the rigidity of plant tissues
Auxins
Plant hormones that activate expansins to allow expansion
Expansins
Proteins that weaken regions of the call wall to allow expansion
Water and the Vacuole
Water flows into the cell and accumulates in a large central vacuole so the cell can expand without increasing the volume of the cytosol
Cellulose Synthase
Trans-membrane enzyme that synthesizes cellulose from UDP-glucose