The jelly-like material (protoplasm) surrounding the nucleus of a cell containing fibrous elements consisting of the Golgi apparatus, microtubules, actin microfilament, and intermediate filaments. It serves three main functions: energy, storage, and manufacturing, as well as containing RNA through which proteins are synthesized. These self-propagating entities can be inherited in a non-Mendelian mode (cytoplasmic inheritance). It is differentiated into ectoplasm (concerned mainly with cell movement) and less dense endoplasm containing most of the cell’s structures. The cytoskeleton provides structural support for the cell and permits directed movements of organelles, chromosomes, and the cell itself.
See Actin, Cell, Chromosomes, Cytoskeleton, Energy, Flagella, Golgi apparatus (or complex or organ), Hereditary, Mendelian genetics, Microtubules, Mitochondria, Nucleus (of a cell), Organelles, Proteins, Protoplasm, RNA (ribonucleic acid)