CELS191 Flashcards
(20 cards)
What branch does animal cells come under on the tree of life?
Eukarya
What must a cell do?
cellular materials, obtain raw materials, remove waste, generate required energy (control all of the above)
What does the plasma membrane do for a cell?
Provides special conditions within the cell and acts as a semi-permeable barrier
What does the plasma membrane allow passage for?
oxygen, nutrients and waste
What does the plasma membrane control?
Movement of substances in and out of the cell
What size cell has a larger surface area to volume ratio?
Small cell
What is the plasma membrane made up of?
Phospholipid Bilayer
What is the phospholipid bilayer?
double layer of phospholipids with various embedded or attached proteins
What are the two components of a phospholipid?
hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails
What does it mean if the plasma membrane is saturated?
the hydrocarbon tails are packed tightly together and are less fluid
What does it mean if the plasma membrane is unsaturated?
Tails prevent tight packing and there is more fluidity
What can affect the fluidity of the plasma membrane?
Saturation, temperature and cholesterol
How does temperature affect the fluidity of the plasma membrane?
High temperature increases fluidity and lower temperature decreases the fluidity
How does cholesterol affect the plasma membrane?
It stabilises the membrane fluidity
What are the main processes that membrane proteins are involved?
signal transduction, cell recognition, intercellular joining, linking cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix and membrane transport
What is the purpose of signal transduction?
to relay messages from the body into the cell
What is cell recognition?
Cells identify and interact with each other through the binding of specific molecules on their surfaces
What do the proteins involved in linking cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix do?
allows a cell to physically connect with protein structures outside the cell
What do the proteins involved with membrane transport do?
Allow small amounts of molecules to move across the membrane (can be passive or active)
