Ch. 6 - A Tour of the Cell Flashcards
(148 cards)
An optical instrument with lenses that refract (bend) visible light to magnify images of specimens.
Light Microscope (LM)
Any of several membrane-enclosed structures with specialized functions, suspended in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells.
Organelle
A microscope that uses magnets to focus an electron beam on or through a specimen, resulting in a practical resolution that is 100-fold greater than that of a light microscope using standard techniques.
Electron Microscope (EM)
A microscope that uses an electron beam to scan the surface of a sample, coated with metal atoms, to study details of its topography.
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
A microscope that passes an electron beam through very thin sections stained with metal atoms and is primarily used to study the internal structure of cells.
Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)
The disruption of a cell and separation of its parts by centrifugation at successively higher speeds.
Cell Fractionation
The semifluid portion of the cytoplasm.
Cytosol
A type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles.
Eukaryotic Cell
A type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles.
Prokaryotic Cell
A non-membrane-enclosed region in a prokaryotic cell where its chromosome is located.
Nucleoid
The contents of the cell bounded by the plasma membrane; in eukaryotes, the portion exclusive of the nucleus.
Cytoplasm
The membrane at the boundary of every cell that acts as a selective barrier, regulating the cell’s chemical composition.
Plasma Membrane
(1) An atom’s central core, containing protons and neutrons. (2) The organelle of a eukaryotic cell that contains the genetic material in the form of chromosomes, made up of chromatin. (3) A cluster of neurons.
Nucleus
In a eukaryotic cell, the double membrane that surrounds the nucleus, perforated with pores that regulate traffic with the cytoplasm. The outer membrane is continuous with the endoplasmic reticulum.
Nuclear Envelope
A netlike array of protein filaments that lines the inner surface of the nuclear envelope and helps maintain the shape of the nucleus.
Nuclear Lamina
A cellular structure consisting of one DNA molecule and associated protein molecules. (In some contexts, such as genome sequencing, the term may refer to the DNA alone).
Chromosome
The complex of DNA and proteins that makes up eukaryotic chromosomes.
Chromatin
A specialized structure in the nucleus, consisting of chromosomal regions containing ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes along with ribosomal proteins imported from the cytoplasm; site of rRNA synthesis and ribosomal subunit assembly.
Nucleolus
A complex of rRNA and protein molecules that functions as a site of protein synthesis in the cytoplasm; consists of a large and a small subunit. In eukaryotic cells, each subunit is assembled in the nucleolus.
Ribosome
The collection of membranes inside and surrounding a eukaryotic cell, related either through direct physical contact or by the transfer of membranous vesicles; includes the plasma membrane, the nuclear envelope, the smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, vesicles, and vacuoles.
Endomembrane System
A membranous sac in the cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell.
Vesicle
An extensive membranous network in eukaryotic cells, continuous with the outer nuclear membrane and composed of ribosome-studded (rough) and ribosome-free (smooth) regions.
Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)
That portion of the endoplasmic reticulum that is free of ribosomes.
Smooth ER
That portion of the endoplasmic reticulum with ribosomes attached.
Rough ER