What is the structure and shape of the endoplasmic reticulum?

What is the structure and shape of the endoplasmic reticulum?

The endoplasmic reticulum is the largest single structure in eukaryotic cells. It consists of a range of interconnected shapes, including sheets and tubules, and comprises a lumen enclosed by a membrane that is continuous with the membrane that surrounds the nucleus of the cell (Figure 1).

What is the shape of the smooth ER?

Smooth and rough ER are often attached to each other, but can be distinguished by shape (smooth ER is tubular, while rough ER is flatter) and the presence or absence of ribosomes on the surface.

How does the shape of the endoplasmic reticulum help it function?

So, the shape of the endoplasmic reticulum helps it do its job. For the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) that means synthesizing lipids and breaking down dangerous chemical substances. The folds of the ER’s membrane are called cisternae. The membrane is folded like this so that the organelle has more surface area.

What shape are lysosomes?

spherical
Like other microbodies, lysosomes are spherical organelles contained by a single layer membrane, though their size and shape varies to some extent. This membrane protects the rest of the cell from the harsh digestive enzymes contained in the lysosomes, which would otherwise cause significant damage.

What is the shape of Golgi body?

Distinguishing Characteristics. A Golgi apparatus is composed of flat sacs known as cisternae. The sacs are stacked in a bent, semicircular shape. Each stacked grouping has a membrane that separates its insides from the cell’s cytoplasm.

What is smooth endoplasmic reticulum in animal cell?

smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), meshwork of fine disklike tubular membrane vesicles, part of a continuous membrane organelle within the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, that is involved in the synthesis and storage of lipids, including cholesterol and phospholipids, which are used in the production of new cellular …

What is the shape of ribosomes?

Ribosomes appear flattened and spherical in shape when viewed under an electron microscope, with a diameter ranging between 15 to 25 nm. These structures are comprised of two major ribonucleoprotein subunits.

What cells have lysosomes?

Lysosomes are membrane bounded organelles found in animal and plant cells. They vary in shape, size and number per cell and appear to operate with slight differences in cells of yeast, higher plants and mammals.

What are some facts about endoplasmic reticulum?

Endoplasmic Reticulum. Endoplasmic reticulum is a network of membranes or tubes in a cell through which materials move. As an organelle in a eukaryotic cell (complex cells having nuclei and other organelles), it is involved with the production of new proteins as well as with the movement of materials throughout the cell.

What are diseases caused by endoplasmic reticulum?

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dysfunction might have an important part to play in a range of neurological disorders, including cerebral ischaemia, sleep apnoea, Alzheimer’s disease , multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the prion diseases , and familial encephalopathy with neuroserpin inclusion bodies.

What are analogies for endoplasmic reticulum?

The ER is like a massive shipping facility that folds, packages, and exports proteins to destinations inside and outside of the cell. Hence it can be an analogy for endoplasmic reticulum.

Where does the endoplasmic reticulum send the materials to?

The endoplasmic reticulum membrane allows molecules to be selectively transferred between the lumen and the cytoplasm , and since it is connected to the double-layered nuclear envelope, it further provides a pipeline between the nucleus and the cytoplasm.