Cell Structure and Function
This bean-shaped organelle is known as the "powerhouse of the cell" because it generates most of the cell's supply of ATP.
What is the Mitochondrion?
While animal cells are irregular in shape and lack a rigid outer layer, these eukaryotic cells typically have a fixed, rectangular shape due to a cell wall.
What are Plant Cells?
This first tenet of cell theory states that all living things are composed of one or more of these.
What are cells?
This movement of water molecules across a semi-permeable membrane goes from an area of high concentration to low concentration.
What is osmosis?
While RNA is usually single-stranded, DNA famously takes this twisted-ladder shape.
What is a Double Helix?
Small but mighty, these structures can be found floating in the cytoplasm or attached to the Rough ER, where they translate genetic code into proteins.
What are Ribosomes?
This fundamental distinction separates cells like bacteria, which lack a nucleus, from more complex cells like those in humans, which contain one.
What is Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic?
According to the second tenet, the cell is the most basic unit of this in all organisms.
What is structure and function (or life)?
This is the process by which a cell engulfs large particles or whole cells by folding its membrane inward.
What is endocytosis?
The "D" in DNA stands for deoxyribose, but the "R" in RNA stands for this five-carbon sugar.
What is Ribose?
This selectively permeable double layer of lipids and proteins surrounds the cell, regulating what enters and exits the cytoplasm.
What is the Plasma (or Cell) Membrane?
In animal cells, these storage sacs are small and numerous, but in plant cells, one "Central" version of this organelle takes up most of the cell's volume to maintain turgor pressure.
What is a Vacuole?
In 1855, Rudolf Virchow added the third tenet, stating that all cells come from these.
What are pre-existing cells?
During this specific stage of mitosis, sister chromatids are pulled apart toward opposite poles of the cell.
What is anaphase?
In RNA, the nitrogenous base thymine is replaced by this, which pairs with adenine.
What is Uracil?
Primarily found in animal cells, these acidic sacs contain digestive enzymes used to break down waste materials and cellular debris.
What are Lysosomes?
Despite their many differences, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells must have these two features: a plasma membrane and these protein-building structures.
What are Ribosomes?
The development of cell theory was only possible after the invention of this tool, first used by Robert Hooke to observe cork.
What is the microscope?
This process occurs when a protein pump uses ATP to move ions, such as sodium and potassium, against their concentration gradient.
What is active transport?
This specific type of RNA is responsible for carrying the genetic blueprint from the nucleus to the ribosome.
What is mRNA (Messenger RNA)?
Named after an Italian biologist, this organelle consists of flattened sacs that modify, sort, and package proteins into vesicles for transport to their final destination.
What is the Golgi Apparatus (or Golgi Body)?
While both animal and plant cells undergo mitosis, only animal cells typically use these barrel-shaped organelles to help organize microtubule assembly during division.
What are Centrioles (or Centrosomes)?
Modern cell theory has expanded to include the idea that this specific material is passed from cell to cell during division.
What is DNA (or hereditary information)?
This metabolic pathway, occurring in the stroma of chloroplasts, uses ATP and NADPH to "fix" carbon into G3P.
What is the Calvin Cycle?
DNA strands are described by this term because they run in opposite directions, one from 5' to 3' and the other from 3' to 5'.
What is Antiparallel?