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  • Home
  • About
  • Classes
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Physics
    • Algebra I
    • Geometry
    • Algebra II
    • Pre-calculus
    • Economics & U.S. Gov
    • Principles of Engineering
    • Human Anatomy & Physiology
    • Business Management
  • SCHEDULE
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Unit 3
The cellular level of organization

Reading
Read Ch. 3 "Cellular Level of Organization"
Lecture slides: Cell Structure & Function
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File Type: pptx
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"Cell City": the inner workings of the cell can be portrayed as a modern factory, city or a school
Picture

Below: Our "Diagnosing Diabetes" lab will be an excellent launching pad for understanding the workings of the cell
Lecture topics
The plasma membrane (cell membrane)
  • Comprised of a lipid bilayer (two layers). The polar phosphate ends point outward, and the non-polar lipid tails point inward.
  • The cell membrane is heavily imbedded with protein molecules, called 'membrane proteins'.
  • Membrane proteins can be pumps of various types, signaling molecules, docking stations (receptors), enzymes, linkers, and cell identity markers.
  • The membrane itself is permeable to nonpolar, uncharged molecules, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and a few other substances.
  • Most other substances like glucose, amino acids, and protein molecules must be pumped or carried across the membrane.
Transport across the cell membrane
  • As mentioned above, substances can only pass across the cell membrane by simple diffusion, channel-mediated diffusion, or carrier-mediated diffusion. Your book covers these processes very well.
  • Your book spends a lot of time on the sodium-potassium pump, for example. This transmembrane protein pump is important in nerve cells.
  • Read the section on 'transport vesicles', which are like shipping containers within the cell.
The cytoplasm
  • This is all the cell's contents located between the cell membrane and the nucleus. It includes the cytosol (the fluid portion) and the organelles (all the tiny structures or machines).
  • We will discuss the organelles in class, and you should read this section of the chapter carefully and know what the organelles do.
  • It is very helpful to use the 'Cell-city' or 'Cell-factory' analogy, here, when trying to remember what all these cell components do.
The nucleus
  • The nucleus has its own protective membrane structure, called the nuclear envelope.
  • The nucleus contains your chromosomes (23 from each parent, 46 total) which are made of DNA.
  • DNA contains all your genetic information in a coded language of 4 characters.
  • The details of DNA and genetics are covered in Biology.
Basic ideas
  • Living things are built from cells; this applies equally to humans, fish, and corn plants
  • This is pretty amazing when you think about it. Your body is comprised of trillions of little self-contained factories.
  • Groups of similar cells are called "tissues". You have around 200 different types of tissues (bone, blood, muscle, etc)
  • Groups of tissues are called "organs" (heart, pancreas, etc)
  • Groups of organs are called "organ systems" (gastrointestinal 'GI' tract, cardiovascular system, endocrine system, etc)
Diagnosing Diabetes lab
Diabetes serves as an excellent launching pad for understanding cells & membranes, signaling molecules, and membrane transport mechanisms.

3._diagnosing_diabetes_student_handout.pdf
File Size: 352 kb
File Type: pdf
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Human Cells homework questions
3._human_cells_homework_questions_2021.docx
File Size: 16 kb
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Cell Contents "Quiz" (10 questions)
3._cellular_contents_quiz_without_answers.pdf
File Size: 227 kb
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Diabetes research assignment
3._diabetes_research_assignment_instructions.docx
File Size: 21 kb
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Diabetes sample student papers
File Size: 415 kb
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More diabetes student papers
File Size: 1326 kb
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"Cell Factory" homework assignment
Sketch a prototypical human cell and label the main components with their "actual" names and "factory/city" names. This is a really good way to learn the parts of the cell. Read the instructions below, and review the examples/ideas slides.
3._cell_factory_assignment_instructions.docx
File Size: 15 kb
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3._cell_city-factory-restaurant_student_exemplars_anatomy_2017.pdf
File Size: 9860 kb
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3._cell_factory_student_exemplar_k.m..pdf
File Size: 357 kb
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Cell Components in-class quiz
cellular_contents_quiz_answer_key.pdf
File Size: 233 kb
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cellular_contents_quiz_without_answers.pdf
File Size: 227 kb
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Other materials
Lecture Slides: Diabetes
File Size: 1834 kb
File Type: pdf
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