Question

Students in a science class were asked to investigate how missing or damaged organelles affect cellular homeostasis for cells found in muscle tissue.

Which of the following questions should the students ask to determine if these muscle cells are functioning properly?

Question 13 options:

At what rate does the cell wall need to break down its carbohydrate structure to meet the high energy needs of the cell?


At what rate do the mitochondria of the cell need to convert glucose to usable energy molecules to meet the high energy needs of the cell?


At what rate do the chloroplasts of the cell need to capture enough sunlight to meet the high energy needs of the cell?


At what rate do the ribosomes of the cell need to work to produce enough glucose to meet the high energy needs of the cell?

Answers

GPT-4o mini
To determine if the muscle cells are functioning properly in terms of cellular homeostasis and their ability to meet high energy needs, the most relevant question is:

**"At what rate do the mitochondria of the cell need to convert glucose to usable energy molecules to meet the high energy needs of the cell?"**

Mitochondria are the organelles responsible for energy production through cellular respiration, converting glucose into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the main energy currency of the cell. Muscle cells have high energy demands, especially during contraction, so investigating how well mitochondria perform this function is crucial for understanding the cells' overall functioning and their homeostasis.

The other options are not as relevant:
- Muscle cells do not have cell walls (that's a feature of plant cells).
- Chloroplasts are not present in animal cells, including muscle cells, and thus would not be involved in energy production in this context.
- Ribosomes do not produce glucose; instead, they synthesize proteins, which is not directly related to the energy production needs of muscle cells.

Thus, the second question focuses on the organelle integral to energy production in muscle cells, making it the most appropriate choice.