25 vocab words Definitions included

By: Tyler Winningham

Electron microscope

• A type of microscope that uses beams of electrons to illuminate objects

virions

• Viral particles that have some similarities to cells in that they contain genetic material and structural proteins.

Prokaryotic cells

• A type of cell that contains generic material that is not confined to a nucleus: the smallest of all cells and generally considered to be neither plant nor animal

Nucleoid region

• The region around the nucleus of a cell

DNA

• A genetic protein like nucleic acid on plant and animal genes and chromosomes that control inheritance

Eukaryotic cells

• A type of cell that contains genetic material within the confines of a membrane-enclosed nucleus; all plants and animals are made up of eukaryotic cells.

Cell membrane

• Structure composed of proteins and lipids and that contains the cytoplasm and nucleus.

diffusion

• A process by which molecules in solution pass through the cell membrane from a region of a higher concentration of molecules to a region of lower concentration of molecules.

osmosis

• A process by which water passes through the cell membrane from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration; if the cell has relatively little water inside, water is drawn from outside into the cell membrane.

homeostasis

• The ability of an organism’s cell to remain stable when conditions around it are changing.

Cell wall

• A structure, found only in plant cells, composed of cellulose and proving some support for the entire plant.

mitochondria

• A peanut-shaped mitochondria that functions to break down food nutrients and supply the cell with energy

Vacuoles

• Organelles that serve as a storage compartment for the cell

microtubules

• Organelles that are small, thin hollow tubes, composed of protein, that give the cells their shape and assist the movement of chromosomes during cell division.

microfilaments

• A device that are fine fiber-like structures composed of protein and help the cell move by waving back and forth

ribosomes

• Organelles of very tiny structures that are the sites where protein molecules are assembled in the cell.

Endomembrane system

• The cell membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, the nucleus membrane, and the vesicles.

Endoplasmic reticulum

• A large webbing or network of double membranes that are positioned throughout the cell whose function is to provide the means for transporting material throughout the cell

lumen

• An inner space within a cell where ions, such as calcium, are stored and proteins are folded and modified.

Golgi apparatus

• An organelle, shaped like a group of flat sacs bundled together, whose function is to remove water from the proteins and prepare them for export from the cell.

Lysosomes

• Organelles that are the digestive units of DNA

plastids

• Bodies in plant cells that contain photosynthesis pigment.

Chloroplasts

• Plastids that use the energy of the sun to make carbohydrates and contain chlorophyll that gives their green color.

Leucoplasts

• Plastids that provide storage for the cell and are abundant in seeds, providing nutrients for emerging plants and animals that eat the seed.

Chromoplasts

• Plastids that manufacture pigments that give fruit their color and also give leaves their brilliant color in the fall.