The Golgi Apparatus – The Cell

The Golgi Apparatus – The Cell

Write a short note on the Golgi apparatus/Golgi complex.
Answer.

The Golgi complex is a cytoplasmic organelle that is composed of stacks of closely packed flattened and curved membranous sacs. It is usually located in the juxtanuclear region. The Golgi complex has a convex and a concave surface.

• The first one faces towards the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and nucleus, while the latter faces towards the cell membrane. The convex surface is called the forming face (cis-face) and the concave surface is called the maturing face (trans face).
• The Golgi apparatus is the site of processing and packaging of proteins synthesized by RER. The proteins move from RER to the Golgi apparatus, where they are first processed and then packaged into small, membrane-bound vesicles called secretory granules. These vesicles are stored, and when needed, move to the plasma membrane through which proteins are exported.

Functions of Golgi complex

• Processing and packaging of proteins
• Modification of proteins to form glycoproteins and lipoproteins
• Production of lysosomes with RER
• Involvement in membrane synthesis