Cell Fractionation and Ultracentrifugation: Isolating and Characterising Organelles
Students will investigate the hierarchical organization of life, from cells to ecosystems, understanding how each level contributes to the overall function of an organism and its environment.
About This Topic
Students will investigate the hierarchical organization of life, from cells to ecosystems, understanding how each level contributes to the overall function of an organism and its environment.
Key Questions
- Apply the principles of differential centrifugation to predict which organelles will be isolated at each successive centrifugal force when a liver cell homogenate is fractionated, justifying your predictions with reference to organelle density and size.
- Analyse why the homogenisation buffer must be ice-cold, isotonic, and buffered at a specific pH to preserve organelle structural integrity and enzymatic activity during fractionation.
- Evaluate the limitations of cell fractionation as a method for studying organelle function, explaining why the absence of normal intercellular context may produce artefactual results.
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