Golgi Apparatus Overview

Golgi Apparatus

• Dense aggregations of RNA and protein usually attached to the ER
• Specialized portion of the endoplasmic reticulum, includes an array of parallel membranes and vesicles without ribosomes
• Made up of various tubules and cisternae
• Site of accumulation and concentration of secretory products of cell synthesis
• Area where substances produced from the ER are modified, concentrated, and prepared for either transport or to be made into vesicles for secretion

Mitochondria

• "Powerhouse of the cell"
• Slender rods or filaments enclosed by 2 membranes: outer membrane (smooth) and inner membrane (forms narrow folds to increase surface area)
• Where oxidative metabolism occurs
• Contains oxidative enzymes for breaking down glycogen and glucose into water and carbon dioxide
• Liberated energy is used to synthesize triphosphate (ATP)

Lysosome

• Contains hydrolytic enzymes that can break down proteins, deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA), and destroy/degade waste materials and foreign antigens
• White blood cells, which phagocytose antigens, have lysosomes as essential parts of their intracellular digestive system
• Can fuse with old organelles and cause them to be digested and recycled
• Produced from the Golgi apparatus and secreted into vesicles
• Responsible for recycling and defense of the cell