Transcript The Wonders of Life`s Basic Building Blocks Tour Map

Coasting Through Life’s Theme Park
The Wonders of Life's Basic Building Blocks
By: Maggie Pahos, Amanda Donnelly, Don Kane, and
Andrew Nicholas
Tour Map
Hello everyone! Welcome to the wonderful tour of a cell in Don's body! The cell
we will be visiting today is an animal cell. We've picked out the eight most
important parts of the cell. Buy your tickets at the heart.
Okay. Board our RNA "sTrain" with your tickets. Hurry up!
Before we begin the tour, we would like to inform you about how we are getting
into the cell. Our "sTrain" is a complex code of RNA that we are sitting in at the
very moment. Our RNA is surrounded by a protected cover of proteins. If you
folks know anything about virology, you would know that RNA and proteins
usually make up a virus. But don't worry, our "sTrain" is specially designed to
not harm the cell. Please keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times.
We are coming close to the cell! Buckle up your seat belts!
Right now we are being attached to the cell membrane, also called the plasma
membrane. This part of the cell allows it to absorb and extract molecules in and
out of the cell. This is truly the cell's outer boundary. The proteins on this
phospholipid layer are attracted to the proteins on our "sTrain". We will soon be
sucked into the cell.
Plasma Membrane
The cell has let us in and we are now being transported towards the rough ER.
Please do not open your windows, it's pretty gooey out there! All the organelles
and insides of the cell are floating in the cytosol. If you look to your right, you
can see the mitochondria hard at work! Right now it is taking in all the fats or
"lipids" and sugars to turn them into energy for our cell! This process is known
as cellular respiration. Those floating globs you see are basic vesicles and
vacuoles, which store materials for our cell to use later. Now we are
approaching the rough endoplasmic reticulum and the ribosomes are waiting
for us. Let's go!
Mitochondria
Vacuole
The ribosomes are breaking our RNA down into protein and will put us into the
rough endoplasmic reticulum shortly. Notice the enormous organelle not far
away from us. That is the nucleus, the ultimate control center of the cell. It uses
genetic code and DNA to produce enzymes and proteins that allow our cell to
function. Without it, the cell would be worthless and life wouldn't exist.
Ribosome
Nucleus
The ribosomes have broken us down and we are traveling through the
endoplasmic reticulum, our personal super-highway. Soon, a vesicle will be
taking us out and transporting us to the Golgi apparatus.
3D Diagram
Real ER
We have left the rough ER and are traveling to the Golgi apparatus through a
lysosome. Lysosomes are complex membranous vesicles that are used to
break down proteins. Another type of complex vesicle is the peroxisome,
primarily utilized to digest excess waste and ship it out of the cell.
Peroxisome
Lysosome
The lysosome has taken us to the Golgi apparatus, where we will be
processed, packaged, and shipped out of the cell. Notice the pancake stack
appearance of the organelle. This a very eminent part of the cell as it carries
out some of its final processes. Not all proteins and enzymes that go through
the apparatus are shipped out of the cell. Many are stored in the vacuoles for
later use. For example, it may store proteins and enzymes that can be used to
produce adrenaline when the body needs it, when Don needs to get excited or
hyper for an athletic event!
Golgi Apparatus
Don’s Adrenaline Rush (Thanks Golgi!)
The Golgi apparatus is done with us and has decided to ship us out of the cell
to be digested from the body. This concludes our exciting tour on the RNA
"sTrain". We hope you had a delightful and insightful experience, but don't
worry if you missed anything. We have provided a organelle review to improve
your understanding of the animal cell we just visited!
Click Review Doc --
Thanks for Riding with Us!
Bibliography
• Google Image Directory. [Online].
http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&q=. Oct. 19, 2003
• Animal Cells. [Online].
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/Anim
alCells.html. Oct. 18, 2003
• Mader, Sylvia S. Inquiry to Life. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.