BRAINCAKEUltrastructure
The ultrastructure of a cell is the detailed internal structure that can only be seen with an electron microscope. A light microscope shows the nucleus and cytoplasm; the electron microscope reveals the membranes and organelles inside.
An electron micrograph of an animal cell (a eukaryotic cell) typically shows:
• nucleus with a double nuclear envelope, nuclear pores and a darker nucleolus
• rough endoplasmic reticulum (flattened sacs lined with ribosomes) and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (tubes without ribosomes)
• Golgi apparatus, a stack of curved flattened sacs with vesicles
• mitochondria, with a double membrane and folded cristae
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Key terms in this lesson
- nuclear envelope
- The double membrane that surrounds the nucleus, perforated by nuclear pores.
More in Eukaryotic Cells
- Light Microscope
- Electron Microscope
- Transmission Electron Microscope
- Scanning Electron Microscope
- Membranes
- Phospholipid Bilayer
- Membrane Proteins
- Fluid Mosaic Model
All 30 lessons in Eukaryotic Cells · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics