The structure of the cell remains common to many organisms. This is a cell membrane, cytoplasm with a transport network and organelles. Eukaryotic cells also have a nucleus, while fungi, bacteria, and plants also have a cell wall. It separates the cell from the external environment, while the internal one, where biosynthetic and metabolic processes take place, is protected from adverse conditions. Then what is the cell's internal environment called?
Cytoplasm and hyaloplasm
The most obvious answer is the cytoplasm. It is a colloidal substance, in the thickness of which inclusions and obligatory organelles are located. However, the answer should be supplemented with the term "hyaloplasm". This is the name of a transparent medium with inclusions and some organelles. Interestingly, this interpretation does not allow a clear distinction between the terms cytoplasm and hyaloplasm, because they characterize similar concepts.
The composition of the internal environment of the cell
In fact, it is so, and the cytoplasm itself is often called hyaloplasm. It consists of cytosol, organelles and non-permanent inclusions. The term "cytosol" refers to the heterogeneous liquid part of the cytoplasm (or hyaloplasm), which consists of water, proteins and inorganic compounds. It is a viscous colloidal medium that provides cell turgor and supports synthetic, transport and metabolic processes. This is the environment in which inclusions and organelles are suspended. It should have a constant composition and physico-chemical characteristics when it comes to ordinary fabrics.
If we take excitable tissues (muscle or nervous) as an example, then in their cells there is a cyclic change in charge and membrane potential, ion concentration. Almost all newly synthesized proteins enter the cytosol, unless they require postsynthetic modification. If after synthesis they need to assemble protein subunits or need to attach a lipid or carbohydrate site to them, then they will be transported from the rough endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex. Later, they will fall into the cytosol or cell membrane, where they will perform their function.
Communication of the internal environmentmulticellular organism
Cytoplasm, hyaloplasm and cytosol are all different names for the internal environment of the cell. In ensuring the processes of its vital activity, they play an important role, since they are the place where synthetic, metabolic and transport processes take place. At the same time, the cytoplasm of the cells of multicellular organisms, although limited, is part of the internal environment of a multicellular organism. It has communication with the intercellular fluid and blood - the body's transport system.
From the blood, substances penetrate into the intercellular space (interstitium), from where, in transit through ion channels or through the cytoplasmic membrane, nutrients and bound oxygen enter the cytoplasm. This is the name of the internal environment of the cell, a single system that performs its most important functions.
In a narrow sense, the cytoplasm (or hyaloplasm) can be called an intermediary between the cell nucleus and the interstitium. The latter plays a similar role for the cytoplasm and blood. Therefore, the cytoplasm (or hyaloplasm) is the name of the internal environment of the cell. It is located between the nuclear matrix and the cell membrane. At the same time, it is the cytoplasm that occupies the largest volume of the cell and consists of 80-85% water.
Answers to exam and test questions
Due to the ambiguity of the interpretations described above, it is possible to mislead the reader who comes across such a question on an examination or test question. What is the name ofthe internal environment of the cell? The answer must be given according to the circumstances. For example, in the case of an oral exam, it should be said that the internal environment is the cytoplasm, which is also called hyaloplasm. They, in turn, consist of the cytosol, non-permanent inclusions and obligatory organelles. The cytosol itself is the liquid part of the cytoplasm, mostly composed of water, inorganic substances, and organic molecules. The cytosol is present in the form of both a true and a colloidal solution, and therefore remains heterogeneous in its structure.
Computer testing questions
If a question is asked on automated computer testing with the indicated answer options, then you need to carefully reread the wording of the question. You need to understand what answer the author of the question wanted, and which option is better. Most often, in one-response tests, the variants “hyaloplasm” and “cytoplasm” in different variants will not be indicated. If this happens, then the compilers of the tests intentionally put a mistake there, since the concepts of hyaloplasm and cytoplasm are the same. And in the question of what the internal environment of the cell is called, the options may be different, but the essence is the same. These are cytoplasm, hyaloplasm and cytosol. The most obvious answer is the cytoplasm.
