Table of Contents
Why are cells considered compartments?
Compartments have three main roles. One is to establish physical boundaries for biological processes that enables the cell to carry out different metabolic activities at the same time. Another is to generate a specific micro-environment to spatially or temporally regulate a biological process.
Why is compartmentalization important in a body of an organism?
Compartmentalization increases the efficiency of many subcellular processes by concentrating the required components to a confined space within the cell.
What are the compartments within a cell?
The major intracellular compartments of an animal cell. The cytosol (gray), endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, nucleus, mitochondrion, endosome, lysosome, and peroxisome are distinct compartments isolated from the rest of the cell by at least one (more…)
What is the purpose of compartmentalization in a eukaryotic cell?
Separating the cells into different parts allows for the formation of specific microenvironments within the cell. This compartmentalization helps the organelles and cell components to function within their own boundary. So, eukaryotic cells evolved to become super-efficient spaces where multiple activities take place.
How are the compartments of a cell defined?
Compartmentalization in cells. Cells are not an amorphous mixture of proteins, lipids and other molecules. Instead, all cells are comprised of well-defined compartments, each specializing in a particular function. In many cases subcellular processes may be described based on whether they occur at the plasma membrane,…
Which is an example of the compartmentalization of cells?
Compartmentalization can also have important physiological implications. For example, polarized epithelial cells, which possess distinct apical and basolateral membranes, can, for instance produce a secretory surface for various glands.
How are the compartments of a eucaryotic cell related?
To understand the relationships between the compartments of the cell, it is helpful to consider how they might have evolved. The precursors of the first eucaryotic cells are thought to have been simple organisms that resembled bacteria, which generally have a plasma membranebut no internal membranes.
How does water move from one cell to another in the body?
In the body, water moves through semi-permeable membranes of cells and from one compartment of the body to another by a process called osmosis. Osmosis is basically the diffusion of water from regions of higher concentration to regions of lower concentration, along an osmotic gradient across a semi-permeable membrane.