C E L L O R G A N E L L E S
Here is a dynamic, complicated world and you can
see it only by looking through a powerful microscope.
A cell needs protection from anything that might
disrupt the intricate process of staying alive.
A membrane separates the cell from everything else.
It also determines what to let in. The various nutrients
vital to the cell's well-being are good. So are messages
from other cells. The membrane is more than a wall.
It makes decisions that require sensors for detection
and authentication of objects foreign to the cell.
Approved molecules are provided a gateway for passage.
In addition, this guardian membrane is able to
constantly update the nucleus on its status.
There are many such complex processes being
performed continuously in order to sustain life
in the cell. And what is it life employs to maintain
this operation? Molecules, dynamic and self-driven
in the performance of their task. This entire
enterprise to support life is accomplished
through the coordination of molecules in
purposeful animation.
N U C L E U S C O M M U N I C A T I O N
The nucleus monitors vital aspects of the cell's status.
Something is always in need of repair. The outer wall
is always in need of replacement protein gateways.
Environmental changes may call for adjusting the cell's
metabolic rate - turn up the heat in the cold and
reduce the caloric burn when things get warm.
All this requires reliable communications between
the nucleus and the relevant cell component.
Some forms of messaging are faster than others.
Putting a protein message in a vesicle is snailmail
compared to direct messaging using the membrane.
E N D O P L A S M I C R E T I C U L U M
Here is the cell's heavy industry. The cell's proteins
are assembled by Rough ER. Spherical Ribosomes
collect on the ER's surface, passing along instructions
from the nucleus. Smooth ER synthesizes lipids,
enabling the cell to distribute energy on a convenient,
tablet form basis. They make for great storage units
and they are available in a variety of sizes.
Smooth ER also provides environmental detoxifying
much like an animal's liver.
A well-regulated ER is vital to cell welfare, so it is no
surprise to find the Endoplasmic Reticulum is in direct
contact with the nucleus membrane. You can't get
anymore immediate molecular communication
than this.
G O L G I A P P A R A T U S
Shipping and Receiving.
We get the finished proteins and lipids
from ER and prepare them for shipping.
Certain modifications first need to be made
before the actual packaging. Once the item
is packaged it is stamped with its destination
zip code, provided a vesicle for transportation,
then sent on its way.
C E L L M E M B R A N E
The cell membrane is high maintenance.
Routine exposure to outside adversity takes
its toll. Structural proteins require constant
replacement. The wall itself is made of a double
layer of fatty lipids. Each lipid molecule is bipolar,
attracted to water at one end and repulsed by it
at the other, its tail end. As a consequence, the
molecular tails always face inwards, creating an
efficient and relatively simple seal against water.
M I T O C H O N D R I A
This capsule is an absolute dynamo,
providing over ninety percent of the cell's
chemical energy. It is a vital guest
to the operation because it brings its own
DNA. Mitochondria has an ancestry
separate from the rest of the cell,
yet extreme interdependence induced them
to become one and the same.
Lichen is a symbiotic relationship between
plant and animal where algae lives its life
within the confines of an animal cell.
The animal provides a protective environment
for the algae. The plant, in return, feeds the
animal through its photosynthesis of sunlight.
DNA, the formula for life.
Highly adaptable.
* * * * *
OVER EASY
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