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The Three Important Roles of a Cell Cells consist of many organelles including mitochondria, the nucleus, the cell membrane, ribosomes, the endoplasmic reticulum and many more. All of these organelles play a crucial part in the survival of the cell. In a way you can compare these roles to a business in that without one department, the overall unit will fail. Mitochondria, the nucleus, and the cell membrane are the most important though. Mitochondria could be described as the cell’s “power plant” because they generate the cell’s chemical energy. Some cells can contain a single mitochondrion, and others can contain thousands of mitochondria. Mitochondria produce ATP which is energy for the cell. Without Mitochondria the cell would have no energy for anything causing the cell to die off quickly. The nucleus of the cell is the “main control room”. In animals, the nucleus is the largest cellular organelle. The nucleus contains the cell’s genetic material stored away in strands of linear DNA. Without the nucleus, the cell would have no storing for this DNA, and the rest of the organelle cells would not know what to do. The main structure of the nucleus is the nuclear envelope that acts as a double membrane. The cell membrane is a protecting wall that surrounds the cell. Cell membranes serve the same function as human skin. The cell membrane controls what enters and exits the cell mostly only allowing materials needed for survival. If there was no cell membrane, anything could enter the cell to harm or to enhance. The cytoplasm would not be contained and could drip freely. A cell is quite similar to a business. Each organelle has a specific job and all are required for the cell to be successful. With the mitochondria producing energy, the nucleus of the cell giving directions and storing blue prints, and the cell membrane limiting what enters and exits the cell, these three organelles are clearly the most important to a living cell.