Chapter 3 (Basic Cell Biology)

Question 1

What causes rough ER to have a rough appearance?

Answer 1

Rough ER is covered with ribosomes.

Question 2

Which of the following organelles is composed of a series of flattened membrane sacs? Nucleus, Golgi Apparatus, Cytoskeleton, Peroxisome

Answer 2

Golgi Apparatus

Question 3

Which of the following statements MOST accurately describes passive transport?

Answer 3

Passive transport allows molecules to scatter

Question 4

Which of the following MOST accurately describes simple diffusion?

Answer 4

A NONPOLAR molecule passes through a CHANNEL

Question 5

What would happen to a human cell that is placed in a 0.09% NaCl solution?

Answer 5

The cell would swell and burst

Question 6

What portion of the plasma membrane is nonpolar? (has no charge)

Answer 6

The interior (fatty acids) is nonpolar.

Question 7

What type of cell connection uses cadherins to tie neighboring cells to one another?

Answer 7

Desmosome

Question 8

Where is interstitial fluid located?

Answer 8

It is between neighboring cells

Question 9

Which of the following statements MOST accurately describes the nucleus?

Answer 9

The nucleus is the information center of the cell.

Question 10

T or F: The cytoplasm includes the nucleus

Answer 10

FALSE: The cytoplasm includes everything surrounding the nucleus including smaller organelles, but does NOT include the nucleus itself.

Question 11

Please describe the basic makeup of the cell membrane in one sentence.

Answer 11

The cell membrane is made of a phospholipid bilayer with a nonpolar interior of fatty acids and a polar exterior of phosphates (with glycerol between).

Question 12

What is the job of the cell membrane?

Answer 12

It is the boundary that separates the living cell from non living surroundings and controls the intake or rejection of outside materials.

Question 13

What is the difference between hydrophilic and hydrophobic? Which is polar?

Answer 13

Hydrophilic will mix with water and is POLAR. Hydrophobic does not mix well with water (greasy/fatty/etc) and is NONPOLAR.

Question 14

How thick is the plasma membrane bilayer?

Answer 14

The bilayer is about 9 nm thick

Question 15

Does the bilayer contain anything besides phosphate, glycerol, and fatty acids?

Answer 15

Yes, it contains cholesterol, glycolipids, glycoproteins, proteins, and enzymes, proteins and sugar groups for cell recognition (such as blood type, immune response, etc.)

Question 16

T or F: The human plasma membrane contains cholesterol

Answer 16

TRUE: It keeps us fluid but strong.

Question 17

T or F: Almost all human cells are uninucleate

Answer 17

TRUE. A few types of cells can be multinucleate (very hard working cells like hepatocytes and cardiomyocytes), and only one is anucleate (erythrocytes).

Question 18

What multinucleate human cells might you find and why?

Answer 18

Cardiomyocytes and hepatocytes. The heart and liver are very hard working and may have mutiple nuclei to support their jobs.

Question 19

What human cell is anucleate?

Answer 19

Erythrocytes

Question 20

What is the shell surrounding the nucleus called?

Answer 20

The nuclear envelope

Question 21

What parts are contained within the nucleus?

Answer 21

DNA in the form of chromatin, and the nucleolus which produces RNA to create new ribosomes in the cytosol outside the nucleus.

Question 22

What does the nucleolus look like?

Answer 22

A dark spot within the nucleus

Question 23

What average size is the human nucleus? Can it be seen with a light microscope?

Answer 23

It is approximately 5 microns across. Yes, it can be seen with a light microscope.

Question 24

What are the parts of the cytoplasm?

Answer 24

The cytoplasm is everything within the cell excluding the nucleus and cell membrane. It contains the cytosol (80% water, fluid), organelles, and inclusions.

Question 25

Is cytosol watery, or viscous in texture?

Answer 25

It's viscous due to the amount of solutes in the water

Question 26

Is cytosol purely water?

Answer 26

No, it contains dissolved solutes like enzymes, nutrients, and vitamins.

Question 27

What is an inclusion?

Answer 27

A large chunk of a substance valuable to the cell, but too large to be broken down.

Question 28

What type of inclusions might you find in a human cell?

Answer 28

Lipids (lipid drop), Melanin, Glycogen

Question 29

What does 'organelle' mean?

Answer 29

Little Organ

Question 30

Which organelle is NOT surrounded by a phospholipid bilayer?

Answer 30

Ribosomes

Question 31

What size are ribosomes? What size are the parts and their names?

Answer 31

The entire ribosome is about 80s in size. The large subunit is ____ and the small subunit is 40s in size.

Question 32

T or F: A busy cell can contain thousands of ribosomes.

Answer 32

True!

Question 33

T or F: A ribosome's job is to produce new proteins

Answer 33

True!

Question 34

How does the mitochondria create ATP?

Answer 34

By oxidizing organic compounds

Question 35

T or F: A busy cell will have only one mitochondrion

Answer 35

False: A busy cell may have more mitochondria. Ranges from tens to hundreds.

Question 36

How many mitochondria might you expect to find in a human cell?

Answer 36

Tens to hundreds

Question 37

What do mitochondria produce?

Answer 37

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), energy currency of the cell.

Question 38

What is the structure of the endoplasmic reticulum?

Answer 38

An extensive network of flattened membrane sacs.

Question 39

What does reticulum mean?

Answer 39

"Little net" in latin, or a network (MW dictionary)

Question 40

T or F: The ER can fill over half the cell

Answer 40

True!

Question 41

What are the two parts of the endoplasmic reticulum?

Answer 41

The rough ER (more of this) and the smooth ER (less of this).

Question 42

What is the job of the Rough ER?

Answer 42

It excretes proteins into the extracellular space.

Question 43

What is each sac within the golgi apparatus called BEFORE it pinches off?

Answer 43

A cistern

Question 44

What is the small transport vehicle produced by the golgi apparatus called?

Answer 44

A vesicle

Question 45

What is the function of the golgi apparatus?

Answer 45

Like a post office in the cell, directs things where to go and packages them for delivery

Question 46

T or F: Lysosomes and vesicles are the same size

Answer 46

False: Lysosomes are LARGER than a vesicle

Question 47

What do lysosomes contain and why?

Answer 47

Lysosomes contain enzymes and acids used to break down things within the cell (like a garbage can/recycling center)

Question 48

What is a peroxisome?

Answer 48

A large, spherical organelle that contains protective enzymes that break down abnormal O2 in your body and detoxify free radicals.

Question 49

What enzymes do a peroxisome contain?

Answer 49

Catalases and Oxidases (Cata=break down)

Question 50

What is the cytoskeleton?

Answer 50

The network of long, thin protein fibers that support the cell.

Question 51

What are the 3 types of cytoskeletal PROTEINS?

Answer 51

Microfilaments (Actin), Intermediate Filaments (Keratin [strongest]), and Microtubules (large fat tubes of Tubulin)

Question 52

What is the basic description of diffusion?

Answer 52

All molecules in the universe contain kinetic energy; this causes molecules to scatter and spread out of their own accord

Question 53

T or F: Passive transport can use ATP

Answer 53

False, passive transport methods do not use ATP.

Question 54

Why can water move through the cell membrane easily, while other polar molecules cannot?

Answer 54

Water molecules are so tiny, they pass through like through a beaded curtain

Question 55

What is Osmosis?

Answer 55

The passive transport of water.

Question 56

What is the difference between hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic?

Answer 56

Hypertonic is a HIGH concentration of solutes outside the cell, hypotonic is a LOWER concentration outside the cell, and Isotonic is a balance of solutes within and without.