Organs Human Cell

Vacuole

Vacuole is usually found in all plant and fungal cells, as well as some cells of protists, animals, and bacteria. These membrane-bound structures are basically just enclosed compartments thatare filled with both inorganic and organic molecules, along with water to support the organelle. Vacuoles may also containsolutions of enzymes and occasionally solid particles that have been engulfed. Vacuoles can serve a wide variety of functions in a cell, and their importance depends on what role they play within the cell. Typically, their job includes isolating harmful materials, storing waste products, storing valuable water in a plant cell, helping maintain the pressure within a cell, balancing the pH of a cell, exporting products out of the cell, and storing proteins for seed germination. Vacuoles also have much more involved roles to play in the cell, such as autophagy, supporting biogenesis and degradation of various structures, and thelysisof unwanted proteins. Scientists have even theorized that the vacuole plays a significant part in destroying bacterial intruders or storing helpful bacteria.      Source

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum 

The smooth endoplasmic reticulum is like a little factory inside the cells of animals and plants. Read more about this fascinating structure and how it makes and distributes the products that cells need to function correctly. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum, or smooth ER, is an organelle found in both animal cells and plant cells. An organelle is a sub-unit within a cell that has a specialized function. The main function of the smooth ER is to make cellular products like hormones and lipids. It also distributes those products throughout the cell and to places in the organism. The smooth ER also regulates and releases calcium ions and processes toxins. It is described as ‘smooth’ to distinguish it from rough ER, which has ribosomes for protein synthesis on its surface. Each organelle in the cytoplasm of a cell is responsible for performing a certain function. Rough and smooth ER each manufacture different products for the cell. Smooth ER is like a Factory, you can think of the smooth ER as a factory manufacturing many of the products that a cell needs to function. Exactly what it makes depends on the type of cell. Imagine two factories in two different locations. One is in the middle of farm country, where corn grows as far as the eye can see. The other is on the coast of the ocean where fishing is the main industry. The factory in farmland manufactures corn syrup to be used in a number of packaged foods. The ocean-side factory manufactures canned fish products. Each factory makes and distributes the type of product that makes sense for its location. Smooth ER also makes or distributes products according to its location. In muscle cells, it releases calcium ions because they are required for muscle contraction. In cells of the endocrine system, which is responsible for regulating hormones, smooth ER makes steroid hormones.      Source

Nucleus

The cell nucleus​ is a membrane bound structure that contains the cell’s hereditary information and controls the cell’s growth and reproduction. It is the command center of a eukaryotic cell and is commonly the most prominent organelle in a cell. The cell nucleus is bound by a double membrane called the nuclear envelope. This membrane separates the contents of the nucleus from the cytoplasm. Like the cell membrane, the nuclear envelope consists of phospholipids that form a lipid bilayer. The envelope helps to maintain the shape of the nucleus and assists in regulating the flow of molecules into and out of the nucleus through nuclear pores. The nuclear envelope is connected with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in such a way that the internal compartment of the nuclear envelope is continuous with the lumen of the ER. The nucleus is the organelle which houses chromosomes. Chromosomes consist of DNA, which contains heredity information and instructions for cell growth, development, and reproduction. When a cell is “resting” i.e. not dividing, the chromosomes are organized into long entangled structures called chromatin and not into individual chromosomes as we typically think of them.     Source

Plasma

Blood is a constantly circulating fluid providing the body with nutrition, oxygen, and waste removal. Blood is mostly liquid, with numerous cells and proteins suspended in it, making blood “thicker” than pure water. The average person has about 5 liters (more than a gallon) of blood. A liquid called plasma makes up about half of the content of blood. Plasma contains proteins that help blood to clot, transport substances through the blood, and perform other functions. Blood plasma also contains glucose and other dissolved nutrients. About half of blood volume is composed of blood cells: Red blood cells which carry oxygen to the tissues, White blood cells which fight infections, Platelets are smaller cells that help blood to clot.     Source

Mitochondria Inner Membrane

The inner membrane of the mitochondrion is involved in the final step in aerobic respiration. Discover the intricacies of this membrane and how it is the key to unlocking the full energy potential of food. Mitochondria are unusual organelles. They act as the power plants of the cell, are surrounded by two membranes, and have their own genome. They also divide independently of the cell in which they reside, meaning mitochondrial replication is not coupled to cell division. Some of these features are holdovers from the ancient ancestors of mitochondria, which were likely free-living prokaryotes. mitochondria contain two major membranes. The outer mitochondrial membrane fully surrounds the inner membrane, with a small intermembrane space in between. The outer membrane has many protein-based pores that are big enough to allow the passage of ions and molecules as large as a small protein. In contrast, the inner membrane has much more restricted permeability, much like the plasma membrane of a cell. The inner membrane is also loaded with proteins involved in electron transport and ATP synthesis. This membrane surrounds the mitochondrial matrix, where the citric acid cycle produces the electrons that travel from one protein complex to the next in the inner membrane. At the end of this electron transport chain, the final electron acceptor is oxygen, and this ultimately forms water (H20). At the same time, the electron transport chain produces ATP. (This is why the the process is called oxidative phosphorylation.) Mitochondria, the so-called “powerhouses” of cells, are unusual organelles in that they are surrounded by a double membrane and retain their own small genome. They also divide independently of the cell cycle by simple fission. Mitochondrial division is stimulated by energy demand, so cells with an increased need for energy contain greater numbers of these organelles than cells with lower energy needs.      Source

Mitochondria Outer Membrane

Mitochondria carry out aerobic respiration in our cells. They have their own DNA and are likely descended from bacteria that entered larger cells a very long time ago. Each mitochondrion has an outer membrane that separates it from the rest of the cell. The mitochondrial outer membrane is a double phospholipid membrane that separates the inside of the organelle from the rest of the cell. It also helps define the inter-membrane space between itself and the mitochondrial inner membrane. The outer membrane is made of the same phospholipid bilayer that the cell’s own membrane is made of, and it functions in much the same way. Like the cell membrane, it regulates what goes into and out of the mitochondrion. Mitochondria are unusual organelles. They act as the power plants of the cell, are surrounded by two membranes, and have their own genome. They also divide independently of the cell in which they reside, meaning mitochondrial replication is not coupled to cell division. Some of these features are holdovers from the ancient ancestors of mitochondria, which were likely free-living prokaryotes. mitochondria contain two major membranes. The outer mitochondrial membrane fully surrounds the inner membrane, with a small intermembrane space in between. The outer membrane has many protein-based pores that are big enough to allow the passage of ions and molecules as large as a small protein. In contrast, the inner membrane has much more restricted permeability, much like the plasma membrane of a cell. The inner membrane is also loaded with proteins involved in electron transport and ATP synthesis. This membrane surrounds the mitochondrial matrix, where the citric acid cycle produces the electrons that travel from one protein complex to the next in the inner membrane. At the end of this electron transport chain, the final electron acceptor is oxygen, and this ultimately forms water (H20). At the same time, the electron transport chain produces ATP. (This is why the the process is called oxidative phosphorylation.) Mitochondria, the so-called “powerhouses” of cells, are unusual organelles in that they are surrounded by a double membrane and retain their own small genome. They also divide independently of the cell cycle by simple fission. Mitochondrial division is stimulated by energy demand, so cells with an increased need for energy contain greater numbers of these organelles than cells with lower energy needs.     Source 

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum

There are two types of endoplasmic reticulum: rough endoplasmic reticulum (rough ER) and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (smooth ER). Both types are present in plant and animal cells. The two types of ER often appear as if separate, but they are sub-compartments of the same organelle. Cells specialising in the production of proteins will tend to have a larger amount of rough ER whilst cells producing lipids (fats) and steroid hormones will have a greater amount of smooth ER. It is called ‘rough’ endoplasmic reticulum because it is studded on its outer surface (the surface in contact with the cytosol) with ribosomes. These are called membrane bound ribosomes and are firmly attached to the outer cytosolic side of the ER About 13 million ribosomes are present on the RER in the average liver cell. Rough ER is found throughout the cell but the density is higher near the nucleus and the Golgi apparatus. Ribosomes on the rough endoplasmic reticulum are called ‘membrane bound’ and are responsible for the assembly of many proteins. This process is called translation. Certain cells of the pancreas and digestive tract produce a high volume of protein as enzymes. Many of the proteins are produced in quantity in the cells of the pancreas and the digestive tract and function as digestive enzymes.      Source

Lysosome

Lysosomes are organelles found inside all cells. In this lesson, you will learn about the structure and function of lysosomes to gain a better understanding of them. Inside a cell, numerous organelles function to remove wastes. One of the key organelles involved in digestion and waste removal is the lysosome. Lysosomes are organelles that contain digestive enzymes. They digest excess or worn out organelles, food particles, and engulfed viruses or bacteria. Lysosomes are like the stomach of the cell. Lysosomes are surrounded by a membrane composed of phospholipids that separate the inside of the lysosomes from the membrane’s external environment. Phospholipids are the same cellular molecules that make up the cell membrane surrounding the entire cell. Lysosomes range in size from 0.1 to 1.2 micrometers. Structurally, lysosomes are like a floating garbage bag that contains enzymes capable of digesting molecules. Their external membrane is like a gateway that allows molecules inside of the lysosome without allowing the digestive enzymes to escape into the cell.      Source

Golgi Complex

Golgi apparatus, also called Golgi complex or Golgi body, membrane-bound organelle of eukaryotic cells (cells with clearly defined nuclei) that is made up of a series of flattened, stacked pouches called cisternae. The Golgi apparatus is responsible for transporting, modifying, and packaging proteins and lipids into vesicles for delivery to targeted destinations. It is located in the cytoplasm next to the endoplasmic reticulum and near the cell nucleus. While many types of cells contain only one or several Golgi apparatus, plant cells can contain hundreds.      Source

The Golgi apparatus is an organelle present in most eukaryotic cells. It is made up of membrane-bound sacs, and is also called a Golgi body, Golgi complex, or dictyosome. The job of the Golgi apparatus is to process and bundle macromolecules like proteins and lipids as they are synthesized within the cell. The Golgi apparatus is sometimes compared to a post office inside the cell since one major function is to modify, sort, and package proteins to be secreted. The Golgi apparatus is made up of sacs called cisternae. Usually five to eight cisternae are present in one Golgi apparatus, but as high a number as sixty cisternae have been observed by scientists. These bundles of sacs have five distinct and functional regions, and each region has different enzymes to help it modify the contents, depending on where they are to end up. This organelle is also important in other ways, specifically in the transport of lipids throughout the cell and the creation of lysosomes. The Golgi complex works closely with the rough ER. When the ER makes a protein, a transition vesicle is also made. It drifts through the cytoplasm to the Golgi apparatus where it gets absorbed. After the Golgi works on the molecules inside, it secretes a vesicle into the cytoplasm which releases the protein molecule out of the cell.    Source

Ribosomes

Ribosomes are a cell structure that makes protein. Protein is needed for many cell functions such as repairing damage or directing chemical processes. Ribosomes can be found floating within the cytoplasm or attached to the endoplasmic reticulum. The location of the ribosomes in a cell determines what kind of protein it makes. If the ribosomes are floating freely throughout the cell, it will make proteins that will be utilized within the cell itself. When ribosomes are attached to endoplasmic reticulum, it is referred to as rough endoplasmic reticulum or rough ER. Proteins made on the rough ER are used for usage inside the cell or outside the cell. Proteins are an essential part of all cells. Both eukaryotes and prokaryotes require protein to function and carry out daily activities. For this reason, ribosomes are extremely important for the survival of living things.       Source

Centriole

Centrioles are tubelike structures that aid in cell division. They generally are found close to the nucleus and are made up of nine tube-like structures that each have three tubules. There are two main functions of centrioles that we will focus on. The cell division, The main function of the centriole is to help with cell division in animal cells.  The centrioles help in the formation of the spindle fibers that separate the chromosomes during cell division (mitosis). This occurs during the anaphase stage of mitosis in which the chromosomes move towards the different poles of the cell.  Without centriole’s, the chromosomes would not be able to move. And the Celiogenesis the celiogenesis is the second function of centrioles that we will focus on is celiogenesis. Celiogenesis is simply the formation of cilia and flagella on the surface of cells.  Cilia and flagella help the cell move.

Plasma Membrane

This is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside environment. The basic function of the cell membrane is to protect the cell from its surroundings. The cell membrane controls the movement of substances in and out of cells and organelles. Plasma membrane can be defined as a biological membrane or an outer membrane of a cell, which is composed of two layers of phospholipids and embedded with proteins. It is a thin semi permeable membrane layer, which surrounds the cytoplasm and other constituents of the cell. The plasma membrane structure is the boundary, which separates the living cell from their non-living surroundings. It is the phospholipids bilayer. Plasma membrane is an amphipathic, which contains both hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails. It is a fluid mosaic of lipids, proteins and carbohydrate. It is lipid bilayer, which contains -two layers of phospholipids, phosphate head is polar (water loving), fatty acid tails non-polar (water fearing) and  the proteins embedded in membrane.      Source