MadSci Network: Cell Biology |
Hello Stephanie, You've asked a really good question! And hopefully I can answer it in non- scientific terms. Scientifically you might have read that the golgi body is the place where proteins made in the cell get processed to their mature form. What the heck does that mean? Think about the golgi as a warehouse like amazon.com where books get shipped from. And say you want to order a gift (protein) to be sent to a friend. What has to happen to the book in order to get it to your friend? It has to be wrapped, a card attached, packed for shipping, addressed to your friend, etc, and a different person would perform each of these tasks. Think about the golgi in a similar manner. A protein gets into the golgi (from the rough endoplasmic reticulum), but it can't get to the right place in the cell without some modifications, instructions or a cellular address. The golgi takes care of these things. And different parts of the golgi membranes each have different functions, just like different people in a warehouse have different jobs. That's really all it is. I hope this helps. Feel free to email me at tegen@alum.mit.edu if you have more questions about the golgi, or if this doesn't make any sense to you. Good luck and keep thinking about science! -Sarah
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