Rameia's Mitochondria Organelle Op-Ed

Mitochondria

The Right Choice for President of The Cell

     I, Ms. Mitochondria am the right choice for The President of The Cell.  Let me tell you about myself. I originally came about from a process called endosymbiosis.  This process resulted in a nucleated cell engulfing an aerobic prokaryote.  This cell relied on protection from the environment of the host and the host relied on on the cell to produce energy.  Eventually the descendants of this cell developed into mitochondria, and because of this process I am here today!

     

     I am shaped in a way that allows me to be productive to the fullest extent.  My outer membrane covers me as like it was skin and my inner membrane folds to create layered structures inside of me called cristae, with fluid inside called the matrix.  The folds in my structure allow me to have a greater surface area.  This greater surface area allows me to have more space for reactions such as cellular respiration to occur.  With this extra space, I can give this cell country the opportunity to get more things accomplished.  The more the better.  I am also a better candidate for this position than these other organelles because I have my DNA and ribosomes.  How many of these organelles can say that, not many. 

    As stated in my poster, I am the powerhouse of the cell.  I provide energy for the cell to make everything run efficiently and smoothly.  Most of my energy comes from ATP (adenosine triphosphate).  This energy is produced inside of me using energy that was stored in foods.  I produce the ATP that supplies the energy for the processes of life.  An animal cell can have from anywhere between 1000 and 2000 mitochondria that help to produce high amounts of energy.  In order to make ATP to produce energy for the cell, I go through the process of cellular respiration.  This involves using oxygen to produce energy.  The benefit of this aerobic process is that it improves your body to make ATP faster.  Did I also forget to mention that I create more than 90% of the energy needed by the human body to grow, as well as metabolize amino acids, fatty acids and steroids.  

    As you can see I am the best woman for this position!  My position in the cell is very important and each and every day I am working hard to produce energy.  A vote for me means a vote for energy, a vote for me means a vote for efficiency, and lastly a vote for me means a vote for a better cell country.  Vote me, Ms. Mitochondria for President of The Cell!

Works Cited

• http://www.mitochondrial.org/index_files/page0001.htm
• http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/biology/mitochondria.html
• http://www.biology4kids.com/files/cell_mito.html
• http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/mitochondria-14053590
• http://biology.about.com/od/cellanatomy/ss/mitochondria.htm
• http://piktochart.com

Rameia's Mitochondria Organelle Campaign Poster

Jazmean and Chigozie's Op-Ed

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum and Chloroplast for President and Secretary of 

Energy: The Cleaner Vote

Times are rough nowadays. We are still reeling from the effects of a recession, job growth is slow, and the price for goods is increasing rapidly. All of these can make the cells within your body very stressed, and a stressed cell is not a happy cell. During your time of need, you need organelles that are going to have your back and keep everything functioning smoothly and efficiently. This is where we come in: the Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum and the Chloroplast! We are two organelles that are key in keeping Eukaryotic cells in a state of homeostasis. Our functions include providing the cell with food, energy, and lipids, detoxifying the cell, and transporting energy to other cells to be broken down and metabolized. We need your support to become President and Secretary of Energy of all the cells. Our plan is to create a greener, cleaner, and more efficient cell without sacrificing ATP in the process. Supporting us will guarantee a better cell!

I, the Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum, am the main producer of lipids within a cell. Lipids are used for a variety of things, most importantly for the formation of the plasmic membrane. Without lipids, there would be no plasmic membrane which means they would be no protective barrier for the other organelles within the cell. Lipids can also be used a storage container for large amounts of energy that are not used by cells right away. When broken down, these lipids can provide cells with 9 kcal/gram of energy compared to the 4 kcal/gram of energy given off by proteins and carbohydrates. I can also make the lipids that are key in transporting fatty acid chains to the Mitochondria to be broken down and metabolized for energy. Unlike other organelles, I am composed of a lot of tubes that are folded in different ways. This allows for an increase of surface area which is great for storing molecules and important enzymes that are can be used as a catalysis for certain processes within a cell. I also play an important role in detoxifying the cell. When other organelles are busy letting bad things get into the cells, I am the one who cleans up behind them and breaks down those harmful substances into products that are safe enough for the cell to use. This function is very important in the liver of humans as the liver is the main site of detoxification for them.
So let's recap. I make one of the most important macromolecules for the cell and I make sure that the cell stays clean and rid of harmful substances. I am the evolutionary by product of the cell membrane so I've been here for awhile. Why not vote for me for President?

I, the Chloroplast, am the producer of food and energy in a plant cell. My most important function is to make food through photosynthesis for the whole cell. I literally ‘go green’ and efficiently use solar energy to prepare food in the form of sugars. The food and ATP I produce powers all the organelles in the cell. I give the other organelles the energy to carry out the instructions from the Nucleus. Many of my critics enjoy comparing me to my long lost cousin, the Mitochondria. Yes, I am like the Mitochondria. We both produce ATP for the United Republic of Cells. However, I would be a better candidate for Secretary of Energy because I am more versatile. Unlike the Mitochondria, I can work in multiple conditions. The Mitochondria can only produce ATP by using oxygen. I can produce ATP with AND without the use of oxygen.

While other organelles depend on me, I do not depend on any other organelle. I survived on my own as a well-functioning organelle in some of the most extreme conditions on Early Earth before I joined the United Republic of Cells. I had to survive only on what I was made of; I could not depend on any other organelles as many other modern organelles do. While I am self-sufficient, I can also work well with others. Over the past years, I have worked with the Nucleus, Cell Membrane, Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum, and Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum to protect the United Republic of Cells from pathogens.

Without me, plants would not be able to survive. Plants produce oxygen for many living organisms, so many living organisms would also die. If I were to become Secretary of Energy, I would help develop more efficient ways for cells to produce energy for all cells, not just plants cells! Vote me for Secretary of Energy if you do not want the Earth to look like a barren wasteland! Vote today for tomorrow’s energy!

A vote for Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum and Chloroplast is a vote for

 a better cell and a better future! Vote today!

Work Cited
http://bscb.org/learning-resources/softcell-e-learning/endoplasmic-reticulum-rough-and-smooth/
http://www.sciences360.com/index.php/functions-of-lipids-in-human-cells-12883/
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/smooth-er-definition-functions-structure.html#lesson

Joshua's and Rana's Organelle Campaign Poster

Joshua's and Rana's Organelle Campaign Op-Ed

Better Together: Vacuoles, the Inner Organelles That Keep on Cleansing

By: Joshua Everett and Rana Srouji

    Eukaryotic cells, in order to maintain your homeostasis you must expel waste and allow nutrients to come through.  But you cannot possibly do this alone!  You need the help of two very important organelles that are the sac-filled, membrane bound, vacuoles.  We serve to provide secretory, excretory, and storage functions. We have formed inside the earliest cells and continue to exist in one third of all living organisms because we are one of the most essential parts of a cell that help it to continue performing its duties.

We come in two different types, the food vacuole and the central vacuole. We have different structures and functions but the both of us have the same goal, to try to help our fellow organelles survive in this complex cell! As a food vacuole, I have a  membrane that surrounds a mass of fluid that contains nutrients or waste products. I am responsible for digestion and excretion by which I take in nutrients by engulfing food, through an opening called an oral groove. In other words, I am a vesicle that forms around ingested foods. Lysosomes will fuse to me in attempt for the enzymes to break down the food. Afterwards, I connect with the cell membrane to release the waste products outside the cell. I am important for eukaryotic cells for I am the one responsible to maintain the sense of equilibrium so there is a balance of release of wastes and intake of nutrients.

Secondly, I am the central vacuole, one of the biggest and most important organelles in the plant cell. I am very important to the structure and support of the cell since I am able to maintain its turgor pressure. I have two main parts of my structure, a tonoplast and cell sap. The tonoplast is my membrane that contains transport proteins which enables substances to move in and out. My cell sap is the fluid within me that contains water, salts, enzymes, and inorganic ions. Also, it stores biological molecules, organic acids, sugars, lipids and pigments (to determine the color in flowers). My responsibilities within the cell are to maintain the turgor of the cell which is the pressure that is exerted onto the cell wall as a result from the contents of the cell. I determine the turgor of the cell based on the water content resulting from osmotic pressure. When there is an increase of water within me, I will swell (hypotonic solution) and increase the rigidity of the cell I’m in. The other organelles within the cell will press against the cell membrane and eventually reach the cell wall.  If there is not enough of water in  me, both the cell and I will shrink. In addition to my other jobs, I sometimes act as a storage center for reserve materials and for final waste products. My tonoplast contains transport proteins that will be able to allow some ions to pass in and out of the cell. As a result this changes the amount of solute in the contents of me, which will affect the turgor.  When there is more solute within me then the turgor will increase, while when there is less solute, the turgor will decrease. As one of the biggests organelles in the cell, I am very much needed. I also aide in the removal of waste products such as my fellow organelle, the food vacuole. I am very important in maintaining homeostasis within the cell. I bring materials in an out of the cell which allows the cell to keep its rigid shape depending on the turgor pressure I control. I am able to control the pH levels so that enzymes are able to work properly so wastes products will be removed so that the cell is not contaminated but I also stores materials necessary for the cell.

Furthermore, all eukaryotic cells such as yourselves depend on many of your inner parts working together.  We, the vacuoles, have always and will continue to help you maintain your homeostasis.  Animal cells, you need me the food vacuole, in order to bring in nutrients and expel wastes.  Plant cells, you need me the central vacuole for many constant functions.  Vote us for cell congress, you won’t regret it.  

Works Cited:

http://wiki.pingry.org/u/ap-biology/index.php/Central_Vacuole

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/57420963973385531/

http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Vacuole.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuole

http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/content/chp28/2802001.html

http://knowledgeclass.blogspot.com/2012/11/vacuoles.html

Organelle Campaign; Poster Sara & Daphne