Cell Structure and Organelles
Every cell is like a bustling city with different districts serving unique purposes. The cell surface membrane acts as the city walls, made of lipids and proteins that control what enters and exits whilst containing receptor molecules that respond to chemical signals like hormones.
The nucleus is the control centre, surrounded by a nuclear envelope with pores that allow communication with the cytoplasm. Inside, you'll find chromatin (made from DNA) and the nucleolus, which makes ribosomes. Think of it as city hall where all the important decisions happen.
Ribosomes are the protein factories - tiny structures that either float freely in the cytoplasm or attach to the rough endoplasmic reticulum. The rough ER processes these proteins, while the smooth ER focuses on making lipids. The Golgi apparatus then packages and modifies everything like a postal sorting office.
For energy production, mitochondria are absolutely crucial. These bean-shaped organelles have folded inner membranes called cristae where aerobic respiration produces ATP. In plant cells, chloroplasts handle photosynthesis with their stacked thylakoid membranes called grana.
Key Point: Cells with high energy demands (like muscle cells) contain loads more mitochondria than less active cells.