Cell Organelles and Their Functions
Your cells are like tiny factories, and each organelle has a specific job to keep everything running smoothly. The nucleus acts as the control centre, managing all cellular activities like a CEO running a company.
The mitochondria are your cell's power stations, producing ATP through aerobic respiration to fuel everything you do. In plant cells, chloroplasts capture sunlight for photosynthesis, whilst the vacuole maintains water pressure to keep plants upright and strong.
Protein production happens at ribosomes, which read genetic instructions and build proteins amino acid by amino acid. The rough endoplasmic reticulum handles protein synthesis, whilst smooth endoplasmic reticulum focuses on making and transporting lipids.
The Golgi apparatus works like a postal service, packaging and modifying proteins before shipping them out. Lysosomes manage cellular waste and transport materials in and out of the cell, keeping everything tidy and functional.
Quick Tip: Remember that ribosomes read triplet codons - groups of three genetic letters that code for specific amino acids!