Golgi Complex :: essays research papers

The Golgi complex's structure is made up of many flattened membranes sacs that are surrounded by tubules or vesicles. These are called the cisternae. The golgi complex accepts vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum and modifies them for usage in the cell. The golgi complex is used to distribute materials which help form the cell membranes. They also assemble the membranous material by producing glycolipids and glycoproteins. The golgi complexes also hand their vesicles materials for secretion. The golgi complex could not do its job without the help of vesicles. Vesicles bring and send the organelle its materials. Attributes:  § 1.0  µm in diameter  § Flattened sacks  § Takes materials from the Endoplasmic Reticulum Functions:  § Packages materials  § Readies products for export from the cell  § These products are then transfered to other organelles or out of the cell Description: Want me an example? Have you ever made a sandwich for lunch and sealed it inside a plastic bag? That's what happens inside the Golgi complex. Important materials that the cell needs to grow and repair itself are packaged in the membrane material made inside the Golgi complex and then shipped to the parts of the cell where they are needed. The Golgi Complex (or Golgi Apparatus, or Golgi Body) is a cytoplasmic structure composed of multiple cisternae (pools of solution surounded by membranes) arranged to look like a stack of pancakes hovering over the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER). The Golgi Complex can be subdivided into three principal parts - cis, medial, and trans - based on proximity to the ER. The cis- and trans- Golgi stacks look discontinuous and irregular as vesicles are constantly joining and leaving, so they are usually referred to as the cis Golgi network (CGN) and trans Golgi network (TGN), respectively. The medial Golgi can have any number of cisternae, which are referred to collectively as the medial stacks. The function of the Golgi Complex is to modify proteins and then target them to specific sites in the cell. As proteins are being made through the translation of mRNA on Ribosomes, they are identified by amino acid "tags" which tell the cell where the protein belongs. Many proteins have a signal peptide which tells the cell to insert the protein directly into the ER during translation. Proteins which enter the ER are modified in several ways, including the addition of large glycosides (branched sugars) to specific amino acid side chains (Asparagines). After processing in the ER is done, the proteins are shuttled to the CGN via small vesicles.