Cytoplasm

Organelles. Cytoplasm labeled at center right.

Schematic of typical animal cell, showing subcellular components. Organelles: (1) nucleolus (2) nucleus (3) ribosome (4) vesicle (5) rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (6) Golgi apparatus (7) Cytoskeleton (8) smooth ER (9) mitochondria (10) vacuole (11) cytoplasm (12) lysosome (13) centrioles

Cytoplasm is the portion of a cell that is inside the cell membrane, but does not include the nucleus in eukaryotes.

In prokaryotes, the cytoplasm fills the inside of the cell and genetic material and ribosomes float freely in the cytoplasm.

In eukaryotes, the cytoplasm lies between the nuclear membrane and the cell membrane and is composed of the cytosol (fluid-filled space) and the cellular organelles (membrane-bound, distinct compartments) floating in the cytosol. The cytosol is made up of water, salts, organic molecules and many enzymes that catalyze reactions. Organelles include mitochondrion, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (rough and smooth ER), golgi apparatus, lysosomes, endosomes, peroxisomes.

Organelles has its own distinct function, enzymes, and other specialized molecules (Alberts et al. 1989).

The cytoplasm plays an important role in a cell, serving as a "molecular chowder" in which the organelles are suspended and held together by a fatty membrane. It is found within the plasma membrane of a cell and surrounds the nucleus and envelopes the organelles. They cytosol is the site of protein synthesis and most of the cells intermediary metabolism (Alberts et al. 1989).

Among the organieses are

Function

The cytoplasm holds all of the cellular organelles outside of the nucleus and also maintains the shape and consistency of the cell. It is also a storage place for chemical substances indispensable to life, which are involved in vital metabolic reactions, such as anaerobic glycolysis and protein synthesis. It is made up of 80% water.

In bacteria, sequential chemical reactions take place in the cytoplasm and cell.

Components of the cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is composed of ions and soluble macromolecules like enzymes, carbohydrates, different salts and proteins, as well as a great proportion of RNA. The cytoplasm's watery component is also known as hyaloplasm.

It can be more or less water-like or liquid depending on the milieu's conditions and the activity phases of the cell. In the first case, it is named cytogel and is a viscous solid mass. In the second case, called cytosol, it acts like a liquid. In general, margin regions of the cell are water-like, and the cell's interior is RNA.

The organelles (such as the mitochondria, the chloroplast, lysosomes, peroxysomes, ribosomes, vacuoles, cytoskeletons, and complex cell membrane structures like the endoplasmic reticulums) in the cytoplasm are insoluble.

Differences between the animal and plant cytoplasms

While all cells possess cytoplasm, cells from different biological domains can differ widely in the characteristics of their cytoplasms. In the animal kingdom, cytoplasm occupies nearly half the cell's volume, while in plant cells, the cytoplasm occupies much less space because of the presence of vacuoles.

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