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What are the differences between cytosol and cytoplasm?
Posted June 16, 2022
Answer
The terms cytosol and cytoplasm are often used interchangeably. However, they are two distinctly different terms. Here’s a look at the differences between cytosol and cytoplasm.
| Basis of Differentiation | Cytosol | Cytoplasm |
| Definition | Is the liquid component of the cytoplasm surrounded by the cell membrane | Is the gel-like viscous cell component that’s surrounded by the cell membrane including the liquid within organelles |
| Composition | Composed of water, soluble ions, large and small water-soluble proteins, and molecules | water, nucleic acids, enzymes, and amino acids |
| Diversity | Low diversity - consists largely of water with a few cell components suspended within it | High diversity - consists of the cytosol and all the other cell components with the exception of the nucleus |
| Components | Components include water, soluable small and large molecules. | Components include cytosol, organelles such as mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, and insoluble cytoplasmic inclusions such as calcium oxalate, lipid droplets, and glycogen. |
| Metabolism | All chemical reactions take place here (for prokaryotes) | Involved in large cellular metabolic activities such as glycolysis and cell division. |
| Activities | Is the site in the cell where transportation of molecules and signal transduction occurs. | Is the site in the cell where cytokinesis, nuclear division, and signal transduction occurs. |
| Functions | Concentrates its dissolved molecules into the precise positions to facilitate efficient metabolism | Freezes organelles in place to facilitate efficient metabolism. |
Additional resources
Self-Organization of Cellular Units