(credit: modification of work by Mariana Ruiz Villareal) In phagocytosis, the cell membrane surrounds the particle and engulfs it. For example, when microorganisms invade the human body, a type of white blood cell, a neutrophil, will remove the invaders through this process, surrounding and engulfing the microorganism, which the neutrophil then destroys ( Figure). Phagocytosis (the condition of âcell eatingâ) is the process by which a cell takes in large particles, such as other cells or relatively large particles. The pocket pinches off, resulting in the particle containing itself in a newly created intracellular vesicle formed from the plasma membrane. There are different endocytosis variations, but all share a common characteristic: the cell's plasma membrane invaginates, forming a pocket around the target particle. Each learning objective has a short self-assessment at the end.Endocytosis is a type of active transport that moves particles, such as large molecules, parts of cells, and even whole cells, into a cell. The textbook is organized in five UNITS, divided into sixteen MODULES covering a total of fifty-three Learning Objectives. The illustration on the cover is by Elisa Riva retrieved from Pixabay. This edition incorporates links to audios for all learning objectives, and many learning objectives have online videos associated to them. This second edition incorporates a module on protein synthesis, and a complementary base pairing learning objective as requested by many students.

It begins introducing the concept of homeostasis, then covers the chemical level, and later on a basic introduction to cellular level, organ level, and organ system level.

This textbook follows the same presentation. Organization and functioning of the human organism are generally presented starting from the simplest building blocks, and then moving into levels of increasing complexity.

The goal of this preparatory textbook is to give students a chance to become familiar with some terms and some basic concepts they will find later on in the Anatomy and Physiology course, especially during the first few weeks of the course.

Download free cell membrane structure