?What are Cell Organelles
The basic and fundamental unit of life is a cell. If at the cellular level, we break apart an organism, then the smallest independent component that would be visible would be the cell. Cells can be defined as the basic unit of life responsible for all life’s processes.
A cell has the quality to replicate itself and thus is known as the building block of life. Inside each cell, fluid is present which is known as cytoplasm which is enclosed by a membrane. In the cytoplasm, there are several biomolecules present like lipids, nucleic acids and proteins.
The cellular structures present are called the cell organelles that are suspended in the cytoplasm. Cells can be of various shapes and sizes, essentially like blocks of building structures.
An organelle, also called a little organ, is a tiny biological structure that performs a special function inside a cell. Cell organelles and components include the various vital components of the cell such as ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, nucleus, chloroplast, etc. Cell Organelles and components play an essential role in the functioning and working of the cell.
Cell Organelles Definition
The cellular components are called cell organelles. These cell organelles have both membrane (layer) and non-membrane(non- film) bound organelles, present inside the cells and are diverse in their designs and capacities. They coordinate and perform efficiently for the better functioning of the cell. A couple of them work by giving shape and backing, while some help with the movement and generation of cells. The various organelles present within the cell are classified into three categories as per the presence or absence of membrane -
Organelles Without Membrane: The cell membrane, Ribosomes, and Cytoskeleton are non-membrane-bound cell organelles. They are present both in prokaryotic cells and therefore the eukaryotic cell.
Single Membrane-Bound Organelles: These are Vacuole, Lysosome, Golgi bodies, Endoplasmic Reticulum present only during a eukaryotic cell.
Two fold film bound or double-membrane organelles: Nucleus, mitochondria and chloroplast are twofold layers bound organelles present only during a eukaryotic cell.
Cell organelles/structures can be divided into three types:
General cell organelles: General cell organelles are found in both animal and plant cells – cell membrane, reticulum, Golgi apparatus, cytosol, nucleus, mitochondrion, cytoplasm, lysosome, rough and smooth endoplasmic peroxisome, and the cytoskeleton.
Temporal cell organelles: Temporal cell organelles are found at particular stages of the cell’s life cycle – chromosome, the autophagosome, centrosome, and endosome.
Cell type-specific cell organelles: Cell type-specific cell organelles are only found in the plant cells – central vacuole, chloroplast, and cell wall.
