The Endoplasmic Reticulum (Er) Plays A Key Role In The Modification Osince The Rough Er Helps Modify Proteins That Will Be Secreted From The Cell, Cells Whose Job Is To Secrete Large Amounts Of Enzymes Or Other Proteins, Such As Liver Cells, Have Lots Of Rough Er. Smooth Er The Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (Smooth Er) Is Continuous With The Rough Er But Has Few Or No Ribosomes On Its Cytoplasmic Surface. Functions Of The Smooth Er Include: Synthesis Of Carbohydrates, Lipids, And Steroid Hormones Detoxification Of Medications And Poisons Storage Of Calcium Ions In Muscle Cells, A Special Type Of Smooth Er Called The Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Is Responsible For Storage Of Calcium Ions Which Are Needed To Trigger The Coordinated Contractions Of Muscle Fibers. There Are Also Tiny "Smooth" Patches Of Er Found Within The Rough Er. These Patches Serve As Exit Sites For Vesicles Budding Off From The Rough Er And Are Called Transitional Er . The Golgi Apparatus When Vesicles Bud Off From The Er, Where Do They Go? Before Reaching Their Final Destination, The Lipids And Proteins In The Transport Vesicles Need To Be Sorted, Packaged, And Tagged So That They Wind Up In The Right Place. This Sorting, Tagging, Packaging, And Distribution Takes Place In The Golgi Apparatus (Golgi Body), An Organelle Made Up Of Flattened Discs Of Membrane. Micrograph Of The Golgi Apparatus Showing A Series Of Flattened Membrane Discs In Cross-Section _image Credit: "The Endomembrane System And Proteins: Figure 3" By Openstax College, Biology (Cc By 3.0), Modification Of Work By Lousia Howard_ The Receiving Side Of The Golgi Apparatus Is Called The Cis Face And The Opposite Side Is Called The Trans Face. Transport Vesicles From The Er Travel To The Cis Face, Fuse With It, And Empty Their Contents Into The Lumen Of The Golgi Apparatus. As Proteins And Lipids Travel Through The Golgi, They Undergo Further Modifications. Short Chains Of Sugar Molecules Might Be Added Or Removed, Or Phosphate Groups Attached As Tags. Carbohydrate Processing Is Shown In The Diagram As The Gain And Loss Of Branches On The Purple Carbohydrate Group Attached To The Protein. Image Showing Transport Of A Membrane Protein From The Rough Er Through The Golgi To The Plasma Membrane. The Protein Is Initially Modified By The Addition Of Branching Carbohydrate Chains In The Rough Er; These Chains Are Then Trimmed Back And Replaced With Other Branching Chains In The Golgi Apparatus. The Protein, With Its Final Set Of Carbohydrate Chains, Is Then Transported To The Plasma Membrane In A Transport Vesicle. The Vesicle Fuses With The Plasma Membrane, Its Lipids And Protein Cargo Becoming Part Of The Plasma Membrane. _image Modified From "The Endomembrane System And Proteins: Figure 1" By Openstax College, Biology (Cc By 3.0), Modification Of Work By Magnus Manske_ Finally, The Modified Proteins Are Sorted (Based On Markers Such As Amino Acid Sequences And Chemical Tags) And Packaged Into Vesicles That Bud From The Trans Face Of The Golgi. Some Of These Vesicles Deliver Their Contents To Other Parts Of The Cell Where They Will Be Used, Such As The Lysosome Or Vacuole. Others Fuse With The Plasma Membrane, Delivering Membrane-Anchored Proteins That Function There And Releasing Secreted Proteins Outside The Cell. Cells That Secrete Many Proteins—Such As Salivary Gland Cells That Secrete Digestive Enzymes, Or Cells Of The Immune System That Secrete Antibodies—Have Many Golgi Stacks. In Plant Cells, The Golgi Apparatus Also Makes Polysaccharides (Long-Chain Carbohydrates), Some Of Which Are Incorporated Into The Cell Wall. Lysosomes The Lysosome Is An Organelle That Contains Digestive Enzymes And Acts As The Organelle-Recycling Facility Of An Animal Cell. It Breaks Down Old And Unnecessary Structures So Their Molecules Can Be Reused. Lysosomes Are Part Of The Endomembrane System, And Some Vesicles That Leave The Golgi Are Bound For The Lysosome. Lysosomes Can Also Digest Foreign Particles That Are Brought Into The Cell From Outside. As An Example, Let'S Consider A Class Of White Blood Cells Called Macrophages, Which Are Part Of The Human Immune System. In A Process Known As Phagocytosis, A Section Of The Macrophage’S Plasma Membrane Invaginates—Folds Inward—To Engulf A Pathogen, As Shown Below. Diagram Of Phagocytosis, In Which The Phagosome Generated By Engulfment Of A Particle Fuses With A Lysosome, Allowing Digestion Of The Particle. _image Credit: Modified From "The Endomembrane System And Proteins: Figure 4" By Openstax College, Biology (Cc By 3.0)_ The Invaginated Section, With The Pathogen Inside, Pinches Off From The Plasma Membrane To Form A Structure Called A Phagosome. The Phagosome Then Fuses With A Lysosome, Forming A Combined Compartment Where Digestive Enzymes Destroy The Pathogen. Vacuoles Plants Cells Are Unique Because They Have A Lysosome-Like Organelle Called The Vacuole. The Large Central Vacuole Stores Water And Wastes, Isolates Hazardous Materials, And Has Enzymes That Can Break Down Macromolecules And Cellular Components, Like Those Of A Lysosome. Plant Vacuoles Also Function In Water Balance And May Be Used To Store Compounds Such As Toxins And Pigments (Colored Particles). Lysosomes Vs. Peroxisomes One Point That Can Be Confusing Is The Difference Between Lysosomes And Peroxisomes. Both Types Of Organelles Are Involved In Breaking Down Molecules And Neutralizing Hazards To The Cell. Also, Both Usually Show Up As Small, Round Blobs In Diagrams. However, The Peroxisome Is A Different Organelle With Its Own Unique Properties And Role In The Cell. It Houses Enzymes Involved In Oxidation Reactions, Which Produce Hydrogen Peroxide ( ) As A By-Product. The Enzymes Break Down Fatty Acids And Amino Acids, And They Also Detoxify Some Substances That Enter The Body. For Example, Alcohol Is Detoxified By Peroxisomes Found In Liver Cells. Importantly, Peroxisomes—Unlike Lysosomes—Are Not Part Of The Endomembrane System. That Means They Don'T Receive Vesicles From The Golgi Apparatus. You Can Learn More About How Proteins Are Shipped To The Peroxisome In The Article On Protein Targeting.F Proteins And The Synthesis Of Lipids. It Consists Of A Network Of Membranous Tubules And Flattened Sacs. The Discs And Tubules Of The Er Are Hollow, And The Space Inside Is Called The Lumen. Rough Er The Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (Rough Er) Gets Its Name From The Bumpy Ribosomes Attached To Its Cytoplasmic Surface. As These Ribosomes Make Proteins, They Feed The Newly Forming Protein Chains Into The Lumen. Some Are Transferred Fully Into The Er And Float Inside, While Others Are Anchored In The Membrane. Inside The Er, The Proteins Fold And Undergo Modifications, Such As The Addition Of Carbohydrate Side Chains. These Modified Proteins Will Be Incorporated Into Cellular Membranes—The Membrane Of The Er Or Those Of Other Organelles—Or Secreted From The Cell. If The Modified Proteins Are Not Destined To Stay In The Er, They Will Be Packaged Into Vesicles, Or Small Spheres Of Membrane That Are Used For Transport, And Shipped To The Golgi Apparatus. The Rough Er Also Makes Phospholipids For Other Cellular Membranes, Which Are Transported When The Vesicle Forms.

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)

A cell organelle involved in protein and lipid synthesis, with rough ER modifying proteins for secretion and smooth ER synthesizing carbs, lipids, and hormones.

Golgi Apparatus

Organelle responsible for sorting, tagging, and packaging proteins and lipids, with the cis face receiving vesicles from the ER and the trans face releasing modified proteins.

Lysosomes

Organelles containing digestive enzymes for recycling, breaking down old structures, and foreign particles.

Vacuoles

Plant cell organelles similar to lysosomes, storing water, wastes, and breaking down molecules.

Peroxisomes

Organelles that detoxify substances, break down fatty acids, and are not part of the endomembrane system.