Parts of the Cell

Plant Cell

·   Cell membrane – It is the outer lining of the cell.

·   Cell wall – It is the outermost rigid covering of the plant cell. It is a salient feature of plant cell.

·   Chloroplast – It is a plastid with green pigment chlorophyll. It traps light energy and converts it to chemical energy by the process of photosynthesis.

·   Cytosol or cytoplasm – It is the gel-like matrix inside the cell membrane which constitutes all other cell organelles.

·   Endoplasmic reticulum – These are membrane covered organelles that transport materials.

·   Golgi body – It is the unit where proteins are sorted and packed.

·   Mitochondria – It carries out cellular respiration and provides energy to the cells.

·   Nucleus – It is the control center of the cell. It is a membrane bound structure which contains the hereditary material of the cell - the DNA.

·   Ribosomes – These are structures that assemble proteins.

·   Vacuoles – These are the temporary storage center of the cell.

 Animal Cell

·   Cell membrane – It is a semi-permeable barrier, allowing only a few molecules to move across it.

·   Electron microscopic studies of cell membrane show the lipid bi-layer model of the plasma membrane, it also known as the fluid mosaic model.

·   The cell membrane is made up of phospholipids which has polar (hydrophillic) heads and non-polar (hydrophobic) tails.

·   Centrosomes – It is located near the nucleus of the cell and is known as the 'microtubule organizing center' of the cell.

·   Microtubules are made in the centrosome.

·   During mitosis the centrosome aids in dividing of the cell and moving of the chromosome to the opposite sides of the cell.

·   Cilia and Flagella – These are structurally identical structures.

·   They are different based on the function they perform and their length.

·   Cilia are short and are in large number per cell while flagella are longer and are fewer in number.

·   They are organelles of movement.

·   The flagellar motion is undulating and wave-like whereas the ciliary movement is power stroke and recovery stroke.

·   Cytoplasm – The fluid matrix that fills the cell.

·   The cellular organelles are suspended in this matrix of the cytoplasm.

·   This matrix maintains the pressure of the cell, ensures the cell doesn't shrink or burst.

·   Cytoskeleton – It is the network of microtubules and microfilament fibres.

·   They give structural support and maintain the shape of the cell.

·   Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) – It is the transport system of the cell. It transports molecules that need certain changes and also molecules to their destination.

·   ER is of two types, rough and smooth.

·   ER bound to the ribosomes appear rough and is the rough endoplasmic reticulum; while the smooth ER do not have the ribosomes.

·   Golgi bodies – These are the packaging center of the cell.

·   The Golgi bodies modify the molecules from the rough ER by dividing them into smaller units with membrane known as vesicles.

·   They are flattened stacks of membrane-bound sacs.

·   Nucleus – It is the house for most of the cells genetic material- the DNA and RNA.

·   The nucleus is surrounded by a porous membrane known as the nuclear membrane.

·   The RNA moves in/out of the nucleus through these pores.

·   Proteins needed by the nucleus enter through the nuclear pores.

·   The RNA helps in protein synthesis through transcription process.

·   The nucleus controls the activity of the cell and is known as the control center.

·   The nucleolus is the dark spot in the nucleus, and it is the location for ribosome formation.

·   Lysosomes – It is the digestive system of the cell.

·   They have digestive enzymes helps in breakdown the waste moelcules and also help in detoxification of the cell.

·   If the lysosomes were not membrane bound the cell could not have used the destructive enzymes.

·   Mitochondria – It is the main energy source of the cell.

·   They are called the power house of the cell because energy(ATP) is created here.

·   Mitochondria consist of inner and outer membrane.

·   It is spherical or rod shaped organelle.

·   It is an organelle which is independent as it has its own hereditary material.

·   Peroxisomes – These are single membrane bound organelle that contain oxidative enzymes that are digestive in function.

·   They help in digesting long chains of fatty acids and amino acids and help in synthesis of cholesterol.

·   Ribosomes – It is the site for protein synthesis where the translation of the RNA takes place.

·   As protein synthesis is very important to the cell, ribosomes are found in large number in all cells.

·   Ribosomes are found freely suspended in the cytoplasm and also are attached to the endoplasmic reticulum.

·   Vacuoles – They are bound by single membrane and small organelles.

·   In many organisms vacuoles are storage organelles.

·   Vesicles are smaller vacuoles which function for transport in/out of the cell.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/teacherceppee/