Plant Cells

Chloroplasts

This illustration shows a chloroplast, which has an outer membrane and an inner membrane. The space
between the outer and inner membranes is called the intermembrane space. Inside the inner
membrane are flat, pancake-like structures called thylakoids. The thylakoids form stacks called grana.
The liquid inside the inner membrane is called the stroma, and the space inside the thylakoids is called
the thylakoid space.

Like the mitochondria, chloroplasts have their own DNA and ribosomes (we’ll talk about these later!),
but chloroplasts have an entirely different function. Chloroplasts are plant cell organelles that carry out
photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the series of reactions that use carbon dioxide, water, and light
energy to make glucose and oxygen. This is a major difference between plants and animals; plants
(autotrophs) are able to make their own food, like sugars, while animals (heterotrophs) must ingest their
food.

The chloroplasts contain a green pigment called chlorophyll, which captures the light energy that drives
the reactions of photosynthesis. Like plant cells, photosynthetic protists also have chloroplasts. Some
bacteria perform photosynthesis, but their chlorophyll is not relegated to an organelle.

Cell Wall

The cell wall is the protective, semi-permeable outer layer of a plant cell. A major function of the cell
wall is to give the cell strength and structure, and to filter molecules that pass in and out of the cell.

Cell Membrane

A cell membrane is like a cell's gatekeeper. It's the outer layer that surrounds a cell, letting substances in
— or keeping them out. A cell membrane surrounds and protects the contents of a cell. It controls which
substances can enter and exit the cell. The membrane also gives a cell its shape and enables the cell to
attach to other cells, forming tissues.

Golgi Apparatus

A netlike structure in the cytoplasm of animal cells (especially in those cells that produce secretions).

The Golgi apparatus, or complex, plays an important role in the modification and transport of proteins
within the cell. There are two major types of cells: prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The Golgi apparatus
is the "manufacturing and shipping center" of a eukaryotic cell.
The Golgi apparatus, sometimes called the Golgi complex or Golgi body, is responsible for manufacturing,
warehousing, and shipping certain cellular products, particularly those from the endoplasmic reticulum
(ER).

Mitochondrion

An organelle containing enzymes responsible for producing energy

Cytoplasm

This is one of many technical terms for the little building blocks of life within us all. Cytoplasm consists of
all the substances within the cell walls but outside of the nucleus: a fluid called cytosol, organelles such
as the mitochondria, and tiny particles in suspension called inclusions. Cytoplasm is full of proteins,
which are essential to your bocell

Ribosome

Any of a group of particles in the cytoplasm of a living cell; they attach to mRNA and move down it one
codon at a time and then stop until tRNA brings the required amino acid; when it reaches a stcellodon it
falls apart and releases the completed protein molecule for use by the cell

Nucleus

A nucleus is often called the brain, or control center, of a eukaryotic cell. A part of the cell containing
DNA and RNA and responsible for growth and reproduction.

Vacuole

A cell is a tiny world of elements, one of which is the vacuole. Found in both plant and animal cells, a
vacuole is a fluid-filled pocket in the cell's cytoplasm that serves varying functions depending on the
cell's requirements.

Endoplasmic Reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an important organelle in eukaryotic cells. It plays a major role in the
production, processing, and transport of proteins and lipids. The ER produces transmembrane proteins
and lipids for its membrane and for many other cell components including lysosomes, secretory vesicles,
the Golgi appatatus, the cell membrane, and plant cell vacuoles.

Lysosome
There are two primary types of cells: prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Lysosomes are organelles that are
found in most animal cells and act as the digesters of a eukaryotic cell. Lysosomes act as the "garbage
disposal" of a cell. They are active in recycling the cell's organic material and in the intracellular
digestion of macromolecules. Some cells, such as white blood cells, have many more lysosomes than
others. These cells destroy bacteria, dead cells, cancerous cells, and foreign matter through cell
digestion.