BRAINCAKEEukaryotic Cells
Eukaryotic cells are cells whose DNA is contained in a nucleus surrounded by a nuclear envelope. Animals, plants, fungi and protoctists are all made of eukaryotic cells. Bacteria are prokaryotic: they have no nucleus.
Features of eukaryotic cells
• a true nucleus bounded by a double membrane
• membrane-bound organelles, such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and lysosomes (and chloroplasts in plants)
• linear DNA associated with histone proteins, forming chromosomes
• larger 80S ribosomes in the cytoplasm
• a cytoskeleton of protein filaments
• usually larger size, typically 10 to 100 µm across, compared with about 0.5 to 5 µm for prokaryotic cells
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Key terms in this lesson
- compartmentalisation
- The separation of a cell's interior into distinct membrane-bound regions, each able to have its own conditions and enzymes.
- prokaryotic cell
- A cell with no nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles, such as a bacterial cell, whose DNA is circular and free in the cytoplasm.
More in Eukaryotic Cells
- Membranes
- Phospholipid Bilayer
- Membrane Proteins
- Fluid Mosaic Model
- Protoplasm
- The Nucleus
- Mitochondria
- Centrioles
All 30 lessons in Eukaryotic Cells · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics