Name: CHIKO WONG Homework (Quiz 1)

Matric No: AW100003

SSP3233 45

22/02/2012

Find out the function of the following organelles. 1. Microvilli Microvilli are folds of the cell membrane on the free surface of a cell. These folds greatly increase the surface area of the membrane, and are part of the cells lining organs that absorb materials. In short, microvilli increase a cells surface area for absorption. 2. Centrosome Centrosome is an organelle that serves as the main microtubule organizing center (MTOC) of the animal cell as well as a regulator of cell-cycle progression. Centrosomes are often associated with the nuclear membrane during interphase of the cell cycle. In mitosis the nuclear membrane breaks down and the centrosome nucleated microtubules can interact with the chromosomes to build the mitotic spindle. 3. Flagellum Flagella are mobile thread-like projections through the cell membrane. The flagellum provides motility, or movement, for the cells. The only human cell with a flagellum is the sperm cell. 4. Cytoskeleton The cytoskeleton gives our cells shape, strength, and the ability to move. Microfilament These are the thinnest filaments of the cytoskeleton. They are composed of linear polymers of actin subunits, and generate force by elongation at one end of the filament coupled with shrinkage at the other, causing net movement of the intervening strand. They also act as tracks for the movement of myosin molecules that attach to the microfilament and "walk" along them. Intermediate filament Like actin filaments, they function in the maintenance of cell-shape by bearing tension (microtubules, by contrast, resist compression.) Intermediate filaments organize the internal tridimensional structure of the cell, anchoring organelles and serving as structural components of the nuclear lamina and sarcomeres. They also participate in some cell-cell and cell-matrix junctions. Microtubules In nine triplet sets (star-shaped), they form the centrioles, and in nine doublets oriented about two additional microtubules (wheel-shaped) they form cilia and flagella. The latter formation is commonly referred to as a "9+2" arrangement, where in each doublet is connected to another by the protein dynein. As both flagella and cilia are structural components of the cell, and are maintained by microtubules, they can be considered part of the cytoskeleton. They play key

roles in intracellular transport, the axoneme of cilia and flagella, the mitotic spindle and synthesis of the cell wall in plants. 5. Chloroplast Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and other eukaryotic organisms that conduct photosynthesis. Chloroplasts capture light energy to conserve free energy in the form of ATP and reduce NADP to NADPH through a complex set of processes called photosynthesis. 6. Cell wall The cell wall is the tough, usually flexible but sometimes fairly rigid layer that surrounds some types of cells. It is located outside the cell membrane and provides these cells with structural support and protection, in addition to acting as a filtering mechanism. A major function of the cell wall is to act as a pressure vessel, preventing over-expansion when water enters the cell. Cell walls are found in plants, bacteria, fungi, algae, and some archaea. Animals and protozoa do not have cell walls. 7. Vacuole Vacuoles are essentially enclosed compartments which are filled with water containing inorganic and organic molecules including enzymes in solution, though in certain cases they may contain solids which have been engulfed. In general, the functions of the vacuole include:

Isolating materials that might be harmful or a threat to the cell Containing waste products Containing water in plant cells Maintaining internal hydrostatic pressure or turgor within the cell Maintaining an acidic internal pH Containing small molecules Exporting unwanted substances from the cell Allows plants to support structures such as leaves and flowers due to the pressure of the central vacuole In seeds, stored proteins needed for germination are kept in 'protein bodies', which are modified vacuoles

Vacuoles also play a major role in autophagy, maintaining a balance between biogenesis (production) and degradation (or turnover), of many substances and cell structures in certain organisms. They also aid in the lysis and recycling of misfolded proteins that have begun to build up within the cell.