🧬 Biology · Cells
Cell Organelles and Their Jobs cheat sheet
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Cell types
- Prokaryotic (bacteria, archaea): no nucleus, no membrane-bound organelles
- Prokaryotes still have DNA, ribosomes, cytoplasm, a cell membrane, usually a cell wall
- Eukaryotic (animals, plants, fungi, protists): nucleus plus other membrane-bound organelles
Organelle jobs
- Nucleus: stores DNA. Nucleolus: makes ribosome parts
- Ribosomes: build proteins
- Rough ER: handles proteins (ribosomes attached). Smooth ER: makes lipids
- Golgi apparatus: modifies, sorts, packs. Vesicles: carry cargo
- Mitochondria: make most of the ATP
- Chloroplasts: photosynthesis (plants and algae)
- Lysosomes: digestive enzymes (animal cells)
- Central vacuole: stores water, keeps plant cells firm
- Cytoskeleton: shape and tracks. Cell membrane: boundary. Cell wall: rigid outer layer
Plant vs animal
- Both: nucleus, ribosomes, ER, Golgi, mitochondria, cell membrane, cytoskeleton
- Plant cells (not animal): cell wall, chloroplasts, large central vacuole
- Animal cells (textbook): lysosomes, no wall, no chloroplasts
Protein pathway
- Nucleus → ribosome on rough ER → vesicle → Golgi → vesicle → cell membrane
- Copy, build, fold, pack, ship
- Proteins that work in the cytoplasm use free ribosomes
Mix-ups
- Nucleus: library, not brain
- Mitochondria: convert energy, do not create it
- Mitochondria are in plants too
- Cell walls: plants, fungi, most bacteria, most archaea, some protists
Cell Organelles and Their Jobs cheat sheet from HighSchoolQ.com, for personal study use.