UNIT 1 [Chapter 3: Cellular Structure, Proteins, and Metabolic Pathways]

Question 1

what is a cell?

Answer 1

the structural and functional units of all living organisms

Question 2

four major cell groups

Answer 2

muscle, connective, nervous, and epithelial tissue

Question 3

what separates a eukaryotic cell from a prokaryotic cell?

Answer 3

it contains a nuclear membrane surrounding the cell nucleus as well as other membrane-bound structures

Question 4

plasma membrane

Answer 4

• cell membrane, covers the cell surface and acts as a selectively permeable barrier
• regulates passage of substances, detects chemical messengers, links cells through membrane junctions, and anchors cells to the ECM

Question 5

nucleus

Answer 5

spherical/oval structure near a cell’s center

Question 6

cytoplasm and cytosol

Answer 6

the region outside the nucleus, containing cell organelles and the fluid surrounding the organelles (CYTOSOL)

Question 7

intracellular fluid

Answer 7

• ALL the fluid inside a cell
• cytosol + fluid inside all of the organelles

Question 8

what is the structure of the plasma membrane?

Answer 8

• amphipathic phospholipids (including some cholesterol), with polar heads oriented outwards and nonpolar fatty acid chains in the middle
• also consists of integral membrane proteins and peripheral proteins
• integral membrane proteins include transmembrane (spanning the whole membrane), while peripheral membrane proteins are not amphipathic and only interact with the membrane surface
• fluid-mosaic!