Topic 4A Plant structure and function
1. Plant Cell Structure
Cell wall
Cell walls are formed outside of the cell membrane and offer structural
support to the cell
o This structural support is provided by the polysaccharide cellulose
Cell walls are freely permeable, and will allow most substances to enter
the plant cell
Middle lamella
This forms the outermost layer of the plant cell and acts like glue to stick
adjacent plant cells together
It is mainly composed of a polysaccharide called pectin
Plasmodesmata
Narrow threads of cytoplasm (surrounded by a cell membrane)
called plasmodesmata connect the cytoplasm of neighbouring plant cells
This interconnected system of cytoplasm between plant cells is known as
the symplast
Chloroplasts
Surrounded by a double-membrane
Chloroplasts also contain small circular pieces of DNA and ribosomes
used to synthesise proteins needed in chloroplast replication and
photosynthesis
The size of chloroplasts is biconvex in order to increase in surface area
Amyloplasts
Small, membrane bound organelle containing starch granules
Large numbers are found in plant storage organs, such as potato tubers
Vacuole and tonoplast
They are large, permanent structures in a plant cell
Contains cell sap, which is a mixture of different substances such as
water, minerals, waste and enzymes
The concentration of the cell sap enables water to enter the vacuole by
osmosis in turgor pressure.
Only temporary in animals
Vacuole and tonoplast( the cell membrance of vaculoe)
Vacuoles have several functions in plant cells:
o They keep cells turgid, which stops the plant from wilting
o Store various substances, such as pigments and waste products
o Break down and isolate unwanted chemicals in plant cells
o The tonoplast controls what can enter and leave
Chloroplast
o Has distinctive stacks of thylakoids
o Double membrane
o Has a roughly oval shape
o Larger than mitochondria
o Indicates the cell is a plant cell
Nucleus
o Has a nuclear membrane and a dark nucleolus within
o It has a roughly spherical shape
Vacuole
o Occupies a large space within a cell
o Often shows up as a very light shade (white) within an electron
micrograph
o Indicates the cell is a plant cell
Cell wall
o Located around the perimeter of the cell
Mitochondria
o Roughly oval-shaped
o Double membrane
o Sometimes observed with visible cristae (foldings of the inner
membrane)
Starch
Starch: structure
Starch is the storage polysaccharide of plants
It is stored as granules in plastids (e.g. chloroplasts) and amyloplasts (small,
membrane-bound organelles containing starch granules)
Due to starch molecules being large polymers consisting of thousands of glucose
monomers, starch takes longer to digest than glucose
Starch is constructed from two different polysaccharides:
o Amylose (10 - 30% of starch)
Unbranched helix-shaped chain with 1,4 glycosidic
bonds between α-glucose molecules
The helix shape enables it to be more compact and thus it is more
resistant to digestion
Amylose - one of the two polysaccharides present in starch
o Amylopectin (70 - 90% of starch)
1,4 glycosidic bonds between α-glucose molecules (as found in
amylose) but also 1,6 glycosidic bonds form between glucose
molecules creating a branched molecule
The branches result in many terminal glucose molecules that can
be easily hydrolysed for use during cellular respiration or added
to for storage
Amylopectin - the other polysaccharide present in starch
Starch: function
Starch is a storage polysaccharide because it is:
o Compact (so large quantities can be stored)
o Insoluble (so will have no osmotic effect, unlike glucose which would
cause water to move into cells, meaning cells would then have to have
thicker cell walls to withstand the increased internal water pressure)
Cellulose
Cellulose: structure
Cellulose is a polymer consisting of long chains of β-glucose joined together
by 1,4 glycosidic bonds
As β-glucose is an isomer of α-glucose, consecutive β-glucose molecules must
be rotated 180° to each other in order to form the 1,4 glycosidic bonds
To form the 1,4 glycosidic bond between two β-glucose molecules, the glucose
molecules must be rotated to 180° to each other
Due to the inversion of the β-glucose molecules many hydrogen bonds form
between the long chains, giving cellulose it’s great strength
Cellulose is used as a structural component due to the strength it has from the many
hydrogen bonds that form between the long chains of β-glucose molecules
Cellulose: function
Cellulose is the main structural component of cell walls due to its strength,
which is a result of the many hydrogen bonds found between the parallel chains
of microfibrils
The high tensile strength of cellulose allows it to be stretched without
breaking which makes it possible for cell walls to withstand turgor pressure
The cellulose fibres and other molecules (e.g. lignin) found in the cell wall form a
matrix which increases the strength of the cell walls
These strengthened cell walls provide support to plants
Topic Question:
(b) The structures of cellulose and microfibrils increase the strength of a plant cell
wall as follows...
There are hydrogen bonds between (adjacent) cellulose molecules; [1
mark]
Cellulose forms into layers/sheets of microfibrils; [1 mark]
(The sheets) have microfibrils at different angles / in a criss-cross
pattern/mesh; [1 mark]
