chapter

23 Cells
section ●
1 Cell Structure

Before You Read What You’ll Learn

■ the names and
Think about the different jobs people have in a restaurant. functions of cell parts
List three of those jobs on the lines below. Then explain ■ the importance of a
how these people work together to provide food to customers. nucleus in a cell
■ about tissues, organs,
and organ systems

Read to Learn
Identify Important
Common Cell Traits Words As you read the
section, circle all the words you
Living cells have many things in common. A cell is the do not understand. Highlight
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

smallest unit that can perform life functions. All cells have the part of the text that helps
an outer covering called a cell membrane. Inside every cell you define those words.
is a gelatinlike material called cytoplasm (SI tuh pla zum).
Cytoplasm contains hereditary material that controls the life
of the cell.
How do cells differ?
Cells come in different sizes and shapes. A cell’s shape
might tell you something about its function. A nerve cell
has many branches that send and receive messages to and
from other cells. A nerve cell in your leg could be a meter
long. A human egg cell is no bigger than the dot on this i. A
human blood cell is much smaller than the egg cell. A 1. Infer Why are cells in
plant stems hollow with
bacterium is even smaller—8,000 of the smallest bacteria openings at both ends?
can fit inside one red blood cell.
A nerve cell cannot change its shape. Muscle cells and
some blood cells can change shape. Some cells in plant
stems are long and hollow and have openings at their ends.
These cells carry food and water throughout the plant.

Reading Essentials 19
Picture This What types of cells are there?
2. Identify Circle the Scientists separate cells into two groups, as shown in the
features that are the same figure below. A prokaryotic (proh KAYR ee yah tihk) cell
in both types of cells. does not have membrane-bound structures inside the cell. A
cell with membrane-bound structures inside the cell is called
a eukaryotic (yew KAYR ee yah tihk) cell.

Prokaryotic Eukaryotic
Nucleolus
Cell Nucleus with
Gel-like capsule
membrane hereditary
Cell wall
Cell membrane material

Flagellum

Hereditary Ribosomes
material Organelles
Ribosomes

Cell Organization

Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Just as restaurant workers have specific jobs, each cell in
your body has a certain job to do. Cells take in nutrients,
release and store chemicals, and break down substances
24 hours a day.
What protects a cell and gives it shape?
A cell wall is a tough, rigid outer covering that protects the
cell and gives it shape. The cells of plants, algae, fungi, and
most bacteria are enclosed in a cell wall.
A plant cell wall is mostly made up of a carbohydrate
called cellulose. The long, threadlike fibers of cellulose form
3. List three things found in
the cell wall of a plant. a thick mesh. The mesh allows water and dissolved materials
to pass through the cell wall.
Cell walls may contain pectin, which is used to thicken
jams and jellies. Cell walls also contain lignin. Lignin is a
compound that makes cell walls rigid. Plant cells responsible
for support have large amounts of lignin in their walls.

20 Cells
 What is the function of the cell membrane?
The protective layer around all cells is the cell membrane. If
a cell has a cell wall, the cell membrane is inside the cell wall.
The cell membrane controls what happens between a cell and
its environment. Water and some food particles move freely
into and out of a cell through the cell membrane. Waste
products leave through the cell membrane.
What is cytoplasm?
Cytoplasm is a gelatinlike material in the cell. Many
important chemical reactions occur within the cytoplasm.
Cytoplasm has a framework called the cytoskeleton, which
helps the cell keep or change its shape. The cytoskeleton helps
some cells to move. The cytoskeleton is made up of thin,
hollow tubes of protein and thin, solid protein fibers.
What are the functions of organelles? 4. Describe What is the
cytoskeleton?
Most of a cell’s life processes happen in the cytoplasm.
Within the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells are structures
called organelles. Some organelles process energy. Others
make materials needed by the cell or other cells. Some
organelles move materials. Others store materials. Most
organelles are surrounded by membranes.
Why is the nucleus important?
The nucleus (NEW klee us) directs all cell activities. The
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

nucleus usually is the largest organelle in a cell. It is separated

from the cytoplasm by a membrane. Materials enter and
leave the nucleus through openings in the membrane. The
nucleus contains DNA. DNA is the chemical that contains
the code for the cell’s structure and activities.
Which organelles process energy? 5. Explain the function of
the nucleus.
Cells need energy to do their work. In plant cells, food
is made in green organelles called chloroplasts
(KLOR uh plasts). Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll
(KLOR uh fihl), which captures light energy that is used to
make a sugar called glucose. Animal cells and some other
cells do not have chloroplasts. Animals must get food from
their environment.
The energy in food is stored until it is released by
organelles called mitochondria (mi tuh KAHN dree uh).
Mitochondria release energy by breaking down food into
carbon dioxide and water. Some types of cells, such as
muscle cells, are more active than other types of cells. These
cells have large numbers of mitochondria.
Reading Essentials 21
 What organelle makes proteins?
Protein takes part is almost every cell activity. Cells make
their own proteins on structures called ribosomes, which
are shown below. Ribosomes are considered organelles, even
though they are not membrane bound. Hereditary material
in the nucleus tells ribosomes how, when, and in what order
to make proteins. Ribosomes are made in the nucleolus
6. Identify Where are (new klee OHL us) and move out into the cytoplasm. Some
ribosomes made?
ribosomes are free-floating in the cytoplasm and some attach
to the endoplasmic reticulum.

Animal Cell
Rough endoplasmic Smooth endoplasmic
reticulum (RER) reticulum (SER)

Ribosome
Nucleus

Nucleolus

Mitochondrion
Cell membrane
Cytoskeleton

Free ribosome

Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Golgi bodies
Picture This Lysosome

7. Compare Circle the

organelles that direct cell Plant Cell
activities in each cell.
Highlight the organelle that Central vacuole
contains chlorophyll. Chloroplast
Free ribosome
Cell wall of
adjacent cell
Nucleus
Smooth endoplasmic
reticulum (SER) Nucleolus

Ribosome

Rough endoplasmic
reticulum (RER)

Golgi bodies
Mitochondrion

Cell wall
Cell membrane

22 Cells
 What is the endoplasmic reticulum?
The endoplasmic reticulum (en duh PLAZ mihk •
rih TIHK yuh lum), or ER, is a series of folded membranes
in which materials can be processed and moved around inside
the cell. Smooth ER processes materials such as lipids that
store energy. Rough ER has ribosomes that make proteins. The
proteins are used within the cell or moved out of the cell.
What types of organelles transport or
store materials?
The Golgi (GAWL jee) bodies sort proteins and other
cellular materials and put them into structures called
vesicles. Vesicles deliver the cellular materials to areas inside ●
A Describe Make a
three-tab Foldable, as shown
the cell and to the cell membrane where they are released. below. Use the Foldable to
Cells have membrane-bound spaces called vacuoles. Vacuoles describe how cells are organized
store cellular materials, such as water, wastes, and food. to work together.

How does a cell recycle its materials?

Active cells break down and recycle materials. An Tissue

organelle called a lysosome (LI suh sohm) contains digestive

chemicals that help break down materials in the cell. The Organ

lysosome’s membrane stops the digestive chemicals from

Organ
leaking into the cytoplasm and destroying the cell. When a System

cell dies, a lysosome’s membrane breaks down. The released

digestive chemicals destroy the cell’s contents.
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

From Cell to Organism

The figure below shows how a many-celled organism is
organized. A cell in a many-celled organism performs its own
work and depends on other cells in the organism. Similar
cells grouped together to do one job form a tissue. Each cell
works to keep the tissue alive. Tissues are organized into
organs. An organ is made up of two or more different types
of tissue that work together. For example, your heart is an
organ that is made up of cardiac tissue, nerve tissue, and
blood tissues. An organ system is a group of organs that work
together to perform a function. Your cardiovascular system
is made up of your heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries. Picture This
Organ systems work together to keep an organism alive. 8. Sequence Write a
number from 1 to 5 beside
Tissue Organ each label on the diagram.
Cell A 1 is the simplest level of
organization and a 5 is the
Organ most complex level of
Organism system organization.

Reading Essentials 23
 After You Read
Mini Glossary
cell membrane: the protective layer around a cell, which mitochondria: organelles that release energy by breaking
controls what happens between a cell and its environment down food into carbon dioxide and water
cell wall: a tough, rigid outer covering that protects the cell nucleus (NEW klee us): directs all cell activities
and gives it shape organ: a structure made up of two or more different types of
chloroplast (KLOR uh plast): a green organelle that makes tissues that work together
food in plant cells organelle: a structure within a eukaryotic cell; some process
cytoplasm (SI tuh pla zum): gelatinlike material inside energy and others make substances needed by the cell
every cell where hereditary material is contained or other cells
endoplasmic reticulum: a series of folded membranes in ribosome: a small structure where a cell makes its
which materials can be processed and moved around own protein
inside the cell tissue: a group of similar cells that work together to do one job
Golgi (GAWL jee) bodies: organelles that sort proteins and
other cellular materials and put them into structures
called vesicles

1. Review the terms and their definitions in the Mini Glossary. Choose one term that
describes a cell structure and write a sentence to explain its function.

Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

2. Complete the diagram below to show the organization of many-celled organism.

Tissue Organism

3. Beside each organelle listed below, write Plant, Animal, or Both to show where the
organelle is found.
a. Nucleus d. Ribosome
b. Chloroplast e. Lysosome
c. Golgi bodies f. Mitochondrion

End of Visit life.msscience.com to access your textbook, interactive

Section games, and projects to help you learn more about cell structure.

24 Cells