material entity material entity cellular_component cellular_component A location, relative to cellular compartments and structures, occupied by a macromolecular machine. There are three types of cellular components described in the gene ontology: (1) the cellular anatomical entity where a gene product carries out a molecular function (e.g., plasma membrane, cytoskeleton) or membrane-enclosed compartments (e.g., mitochondrion); (2) virion components, where viral proteins act, and (3) the stable macromolecular complexes of which gene product are parts (e.g., the clathrin complex). protein-containing complex virion component cellular anatomical entity