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Illustration of a eukaryotic cell membrane Comparison of a eukaryotic vs. a prokaryotic cell membrane. The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extracellular space).
Eukaryotic cells are some 10,000 times larger than prokaryotic cells by volume, have their DNA organised in a nucleus, and contain membrane-bound organelles. The division between prokaryotes and eukaryotes has been considered the most important distinction or difference among organisms.
Recent research has revealed that at least some prokaryotes have microcompartments, such as carboxysomes. These subcellular compartments are 100–200 nm in diameter and are enclosed by a shell of proteins. [1] Even more striking is the description of membrane-bounded magnetosomes in bacteria, reported in 2006. [25] [26]
Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells have organelles, but prokaryotic organelles are generally simpler and are not membrane-bound. There are several types of organelles in a cell. Some (such as the nucleus and Golgi apparatus ) are typically solitary, while others (such as mitochondria , chloroplasts , peroxisomes and lysosomes ) can be ...
The defining feature of eukaryotes is that their cells have a well-defined, membrane-bound nuclei, distinguishing them from prokaryotes that lack such a structure. Eukaryotic cells have a variety of internal membrane-bound structures, called organelles , and a cytoskeleton which defines the cell's organization and shape.
The major structure in cell membranes is a double layer of these phospholipids, which is called a lipid bilayer. [130] The phospholipids of archaea are unusual in four ways: They have membranes composed of glycerol-ether lipids, whereas bacteria and eukaryotes have membranes composed mainly of glycerol-ester lipids. [131]
Cellular compartments in cell biology comprise all of the closed parts within the cytosol of a eukaryotic cell, usually surrounded by a single or double lipid layer membrane. These compartments are often, but not always, defined as membrane-bound organelles. The formation of cellular compartments is called compartmentalization.
In prokaryotes endomembranes are rare, although in many photosynthetic bacteria the plasma membrane is highly folded and most of the cell cytoplasm is filled with layers of light-gathering membrane. [9] These light-gathering membranes may even form enclosed structures called chlorosomes in green sulfur bacteria. [10]