Golgi Apparatus functions as the “Post Office” inside the cells Golgi apparatus is in charge of the following functions in the cell: Golgi is the protein delivery center inside the cells Golgi is in charge of adding sugar molecules onto proteins Golgi also modifies lipid molecules Golgi synthesizes the sugar components of cell walls Many … Read more
“Glycosylation” – Golgi apparatus modifies proteins by adding sugar molecules Protein processing is another important function of Golgi. The raw proteins synthesized from ribosomes are purely long chains of amino acids. These proteins need to be modified by adding carbohydrate (sugar units) portions to become “glycoproteins”. The prefix “glycol-” means “sugar”. [In this figure] Type … Read more
A cell degrades and recycle its old cell parts by autophagy “Autophagy” (aka “self-eating”) is a biological process when cells are short of nutrient supply. When the cells sense that the environment becomes more challenging or the nutrient source is low, the cells turn on autophagy. In order to obtain the nutrient, the cells have … Read more
Within the cytoplasm, the major organelles and cellular structures include: (1) nucleolus (2) nucleus (3) ribosome (4) vesicle (5) rough endoplasmic reticulum (6) Golgi apparatus (7) cytoskeleton (8) smooth endoplasmic reticulum (9) mitochondria (10) vacuole (11) cytosol (12) lysosome (13) centriole. Plant cells have 3 more unique organelles: (14) cell wall (15) central vacuole (16) … Read more
In order to manufacture extracellular proteins for secretion, several organelles, including ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and secretory vesicles have to work together. Golgi apparatus is the protein delivery center inside the cells The function of Golgi apparatus is like the post office inside the cells. It usually locates close to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). … Read more
Ribosome A ribosome is a particle-like cell organelle made of RNA (ribonucleic acid) and ribosomal proteins that serve as the site for protein synthesis in the cell. The ribosome reads the sequence of the messenger RNA (mRNA) and, using the genetic code, translates the sequence of RNA into a sequence of amino acids (a process … Read more
Chloroplasts in plant cells What is the biological function of chloroplast? Chloroplasts convert the light energy of the Sun into sugars (a process called photosynthesis) that can be used by cells. At the same time, photosynthesis produces oxygen (O2) and consumes carbon dioxide (CO2). For this reason, plants are the basis of all life on Earth. … Read more
Chloroplast and Mitochondrion Chloroplasts and mitochondria share many in common. Both organelles have two layers of membranes – called outer and inner membranes. Chloroplasts and mitochondria also have their own copies of DNA, which are independent of the cell nuclei. There are specialized ribosomes inside chloroplasts and mitochondria to make proteins only for these organelles. Scientists believe chloroplasts and mitochondria are … Read more
Vacuole A vacuole is a membrane-bound organelle (like a bubble) that is present in all plant cells. Some animal and fungal cells also have vacuoles, but they are much smaller. Most mature plant cells have one large central vacuole that can occupy as much as 80% of the cell volume, making the vacuole the most prominent organelle … Read more
Ribosomes are the molecular machines responsible for protein synthesis (called Translation) At the molecular level, ribosome functions like a decrypting machine. DNA transcribes to messenger RNA (mRNA), which is exported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. The mRNA molecule is like genetic codes written on a long thread of paper. The ribosome finds the right … Read more