ORGANELLES of the Cell

Nucleus• Appearance: Large Oval

• Location: varies

• Function: Control center for all cell functions

Cytoplasm• Appearance: Clear fluid

• Location: Inside the cell membrane

• Function: Suspends organelles; site of chemical reactions

Nucleolus• Appearance: Round structure inside the nucleus

• Location: Inside the nucleus

• Function: • Site of RNA synthesis• Produces ribosomes

Plasma (cell) Membrane• Appearance: surrounds cell

• Location:–Plant: inside the cell wall–Animal: outer layer

»Semipermeable»Composed of lipids & proteins

• Function: Controls materials in and out of the cell

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (Rough ER)

• Appearance: mesh of hollow sheets with ribosomes attached

• Location: Connected to the nucleus and plasma membrane

• Function:• Rough: acts like a conveyer

belt and transports proteins

Rough ER

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (Smooth ER)

• Appearance: mesh of hollow sheets

• Location: Connected to the nucleus and plasma membrane

• Function:• Smooth: produces lipids

Ribosomes• Appearance: Small, dense

granules

• Location: Free in the cytoplasm; attached to the ER

-proteins made are used by the cell or moved out and used by other cells

• Function: Synthesize proteins

Golgi Apparatus• Appearance: Flattened sacs

• Location: Near the ER

• Function: Temporary storage, packaging and secretion of proteins and fats– Produces lysosomes

Mitochondria• Appearance: usually bean shaped with folded

membranes (greater surface area-hence more energy)

• Location: Many mitochondria in a cell!• Function: Powerhouse of the cell (energy production ATP)

Vacuoles• Appearance: Cavities filled with fluid

• Location:• Plant: usually 1 large water-filled vacuole

(maintains structure)• Animal: many tiny vacuoles

• Function: Storage of water, starch, fats, etc• Two types:

–Contractile vacuole: removes water and wastes–Food vacuole: breaks down food

Water Vacuole

Lysosomes• Appearance: Egg shaped-membrane bound

structure• Produced by the Golgi Bodies

• Location: ONLY found in animal cells

• Function: Contain digestive enzymes that break down molecules

• Aid in the digestion of nutrients• Break down destructive cells (bacteria)

Cytoskeleton• Appearance: Network of

thin, fibrous proteins (microtubules & microfilaments)

• Location: Entire cell

• Function: Acts as sort of a scaffold to provide support for organelles– Helps maintain cell shape

Microfilaments• Appearance: Long, threadlike

proteins

• Location: A part of cytoskeleton

• Function: Associated with muscle contractions in large organisms– Associated with cell

movement

Microtubules• Appearance: Thin, hollow

cylinders of proteins

• Location: A part of cytoskeleton

• Function: Provide shape and rigidity to the cell

• Assist organelles to move from place to place within the cell

Cilia• Appearance: thin hair-like

projections

• Location: Formed from specialized microtubules

• Attached to outside of cell

• Function: Aid in movement and locomotion (intestinal cells)

Flagella• Appearance: Whip-like

tails

•Location: Formed from specialized microtubules

• Attached to outside of cell

• Function: Aid in movement and locomotion (sperm)

Chromatin• Appearance: Strings of “spaghetti”

• Location: inside nucleus

• Function: Uncoiled DNA; involved in duplicating the cells– Coils into chromosomes during cell division

Chromosomes• Appearance: Coiled chromatin

• Location: inside nucleus

• Function: Contains genetic information (DNA)

Centrioles• Appearance: Two small structures

• Location: Found inside the centrosome (only in animal cells)

• Function: Moves chromosomes during cell division

Plastids (only in plant cells)• Appearance: varies

• Have own DNA

• Location: ONLY in plants

• Function: based on type: Leucoplast (store starch),chromoplast (store pigments),

chloroplast

Chloroplast (only in plant cells)• Appearance: Small, circular,

green (contains chlorophyll-green pigment

• Location: ONLY in plants

• Function: Site of photosynthesis

Cell Wall (only in plant cells)• Appearance:

• Made of cellulose• Rigid, strong, stiff structure

• Location: Surrounds cell membrane (only in plants)

• Function: Support & protection• Allows H2O, O2, CO2 to pass into and out

of cell

Note:• All the organelles work together!

–For example, after some proteins are made by the ribosomes, the rough ER transports these proteins to the golgi apparatus, then the golgi makes vesicles that can fuse with the cell’s plasma membrane to release proteins to the environments outside the cellor used within the cell..

http://www.microscopy.fsu.edu/cells/animals/animalmodel.html

*Animal Cell

Golgi Body Smooth ER

Nucleolus

*Lysosome

Chromatin

Nucleus

Vacuole*(many small ones)

Plasma MembraneRough ER

Microtubule

Mitochondria

*Centrioles

Ribosomes

Microfilaments

*Plant Cell

Ribosomes

Nucleolus

Chromatin

Plasma Membrane

Microfilaments*Plastid

Nucleus

*Cell WallRough ER*Chloroplast

Smooth ER

Golgi Body

Mitochondria

*Water Vacuole

Microtubule