Lecture 9

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 The Golgi Apparatus
„ The Golgi apparatus (GA), also called Golgi body or Golgi
complex and found universally in both plant and animal cells
„ Is typically comprised of a series of five to eight cup-shaped,
membrane-covered sacs called cisternae that look something
like a stack of deflated balloons.
„ In some unicellular flagellates, however, as many as 60 cisternae
may combine to make up the Golgi apparatus.
„ Similarly, the number of Golgi bodies in a cell varies according to
its function.
„ Animal cells generally contain between ten and twenty Golgi
stacks per cell, which are linked into a single complex by tubular
connections between cisternae.
„ This complex is usually located close to the cell nucleus.

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cell Biology ٢٢٢ ٣
 Golgi Apparatus Structure

„ The Golgi is composed of membrane-bound stacks

known as cisternae (singular: cisterna).
„ Between four and eight are usually present; however, in
some protists as many as sixty have been observed.
„ Each cisterna comprises a flattened membrane disk,
and carries Golgi enzymes to help or to modify cargo
proteins that travel through them.
„ The cisternae stack has five functional regions: the cis-
Golgi network, cis-Golgi, medial-Golgi, trans-Golgi, and
trans-Golgi network.

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 Golgi Apparatus Structure
„ Vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum (via the vesicular-tubular
cluster) fuse with the cis-Golgi network and subsequently progress
through the stack to the trans Golgi network, where they are
packaged and sent to the required destination
„ Each region contains different enzymes which selectively modify the
contents depending on where they reside.
„ The cisternae also carry structural proteins important for their
maintenance as flattened membranes which stack upon each other.
„ The trans face of the trans-Golgi network is the face from which
vesicles leave the Golgi.
„ These vesicles then proceed to later compartments such as the cell
membrane, secretory vesicles or late endosomes

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 Diagram of secretory process from endoplasmic
reticulum (orange) to Golgi apparatus (pink).
„ 1. Nuclear membrane
„ 2. Nuclear pore
„ 3. Rough endoplasmic
reticulum (rER)
„ 4. Smooth endoplasmic
reticulum (sER)
„ 5. Ribosome attached to
rER 6. Macromolecules
„ 7. Transport vesicles
„ 8. Golgi apparatus
„ 9. Cis face of Golgi
apparatus
„ 10. Trans face of Golgi
apparatus
„ 11. Cisternae of lipids

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 Golgi Apparatus Structure
„ The modifications to molecules that take place in the Golgi
apparatus occur in an orderly fashion.
„ Each Golgi stack has two distinct ends, or faces.
„ The cis face of a Golgi stack is the end of the organelle where
substances enter from the endoplasmic reticulum for processing,
while the trans face is where they exit in the form of smaller
detached vesicles.
„ Consequently, the cis face is found near the endoplasmic
reticulum, from whence most of the material it receives comes,
and the trans face is positioned near the plasma membrane of
the cell, to where many of the substances it modifies are
shipped.
„ The chemical make-up of each face is different and the enzymes
contained in the lumens (inner open spaces) of the cisternae
between the faces are distinctive .

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 Function
„ Cells synthesise a large number of different macromolecules.
„ The Golgi apparatus is integral in modifying, sorting, and packaging these
macromolecules for cell secretion (exocytosis) or use within the cell.
„ It primarily modifies proteins delivered from the rough endoplasmic
reticulum but is also involved in the transport of lipids around the cell, and
the creation of lysosomes.
„ In this respect it can be thought of as similar to a post office; it packages
and labels items which it then sends to different parts of the cell.
„ Enzymes within the cisternae are able to modify substances by the addition
of carbohydrates (glycosylation) and phosphates (phosphorylation).
„ The Golgi plays an important role in the synthesis of proteoglycans, which
are molecules present in the extracellular matrix of animals.
„ It is also a major site of carbohydrate synthesis
„ The Golgi has a putative role in apoptosis

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cell Biology ٢٢٢ ١٠
 Endoplasmic reticulum
„ The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an eukaryotic organelle that
forms an interconnected network of tubules, vesicles, and cisternae
within cells.
„ The general structure of the endoplasmic reticulum is an extensive
membrane network of cisternae held together by the cytoskeleton.
„ The phospholipid membrane encloses a space, the cisternal space
(or lumen), from the cytosol, which is continuous with the perinuclear
space.
„ The functions of the endoplasmic reticulum vary greatly depending
on the exact type of endoplasmic reticulum and the type of cell in
which it resides.
„ The three varieties are called rough endoplasmic reticulum, smooth
endoplasmic reticulum and sarcoplasmic reticulum.
„ The quantity of RER and SER in a cell can quickly interchange from
one type to the other, depending on changing metabolic needs

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 Rough endoplasmic reticulum
„ The surface of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) is studded
with protein-manufacturing ribosomes giving it a "rough" appearance
(hence its name).
„ However, the ribosomes bound to the RER at any one time are not a
stable part of this organelle's structure as ribosomes are constantly
being bound and released from the membrane
„ A ribosome only binds to the ER once it begins to synthesize a
protein destined for the secretory pathway.
„ Here, a ribosome in the cytosol begins synthesizing a protein until a
signal recognition particle recognizes the pre-piece of 5-15
hydrophobic amino acids preceded by a positively charged amino
acid

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 Rough endoplasmic reticulum
„ This signal sequence allows the recognition particle to bind to the
ribosome, causing the ribosome to bind to the RER and pass the
new protein through the ER membrane.
„ The pre-piece is then cleaved off within the lumen of the ER and the
ribosome released back into the cytosol.
„ The membrane of the RER is continuous with the outer layer of the
nuclear envelope
„ Although there is no continuous membrane between the RER and
the Golgi apparatus, membrane-bound vesicles shuttle proteins
between these two compartments.
„ Vesicles are surrounded by coating proteins called COPI and COPII.
COPII targets vesicles to the golgi and COPI marks them to be
brought back to the RER.

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 Smooth endoplasmic reticulum

„ The smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) has functions in

several metabolic processes, including synthesis of lipids and
steroids, metabolism of carbohydrates, regulation of calcium
concentration, drug detoxification, attachment of receptors on
cell membrane proteins, and steroid metabolism.
„ It is connected to the nuclear envelope.
„ Smooth endoplasmic reticulum is found in a variety of cell types
(both animal and plant) and it serves different functions in each.

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 Smooth endoplasmic reticulum

„ The Smooth ER also contains the enzyme glucose-6-

phosphatase which converts glucose-6-phosphate to
glucose, a step in gluconeogenesis
„ The SER consists of tubules and vesicles that branch
forming a network.
„ In some cells there are dilated areas like the sacs of
RER.
„ The network of SER allows increased surface area for
the action or storage of key enzymes and the products of
these enzymes.

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cell Biology ٢٢٢ ١٦
 Sarcoplasmic reticulum

„ The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), from the Greek sarx, "flesh", is a

special type of smooth ER found in smooth and striated muscle.
„ The only structural difference between this organelle and the SER is
the medley of proteins they have, both bound to their membranes
and drifting within the confines of their lumens.
„ This fundamental difference is indicative of their functions: the SER
synthesizes molecules while the SR stores and pumps calcium ions.
„ The SR contains large stores of calcium, which it sequesters and
then releases when the muscle cell is stimulated.
„ The SR's release of calcium upon electrical stimulation of the cell
plays a major role in excitation-contraction coupling.

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