The Endomembrane System
•Regulates protein traffic and performs
metabolic functions in the cell
• Includes many different structures:
–
–
–
–
Endoplasmic Reticulum (and vesicles)
Golgi Apparatus (and vesicles)
Lysosomes
Vacuoles
Endoplasmic Reticulum
• Function
– Manufactures membranes and performs many biosynthesis functions
• Structure
– Membrane connected to nuclear envelope & extends
throughout cell
– Accounts for 50% of membranes in eukaryotic cells
• Types
– Rough ER= has ribosomes bound to it
– Smooth ER=does not have ribosomes bound to it
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
• Functions
• Metabolic processes
• Synthesis and hydrolysis
• Enzymes of smooth ER
• Synthesize lipids, oils,
phospholipids, steroids & sex
hormones
• Hydrolysis of glycogen into glucose
in liver
• Detoxify drugs and poisons (in liver)
• Pumps calcium ions for muscle
function
Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
• Function
• Produce proteins for export out of cell
• Protein secreting cells
• Packaged into transport vesicles for export
Membrane Factory
• Synthesize membrane phospholipids
– Build new membrane
– As ER membrane expands, bud off & transfer
to other parts of cell that need membranes
• Synthesize membrane proteins
– Membrane bound proteins synthesized
directly into membrane
– Processing to make glycoproteins
Endoplasmic reticulum
• Which types of cells have a lot of rough
ER?
• How might smooth ER play a role in
“alcohol tolerance”?
Golgi Apparatus
• Function:
• Finishes, sorts &
ships cell products
• Shipping and
receiving
department
• Extensive in cells
specialized for
secretion
Golgi Apparatus
• Structure
– Flattened membranous sac=cisternae
• Look like stacks of pita bread
– 2 sides=2 functions
• Cis=receives material by fusing with vesicles=“receiving”
• Trans=buds off vesicles that travel to other
sites=“shipping”
Golgi Processing
• During path from cis to trans, products
from ER are modified into final form
• Tags, sorts, & packages materials into
transport vesicles
– Golgi=“UPS headquarters”
– Transport vesicles=“UPS trucks”
• Delivering packages that have been tagged with
their own barcode
Protein-carrying vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum
transfer substances to the cis region of the Golgi apparatus.
The Golgi chemically modifies proteins in its lumen…
…and “targets” them to the correct addresses.
Rough
endoplasmic
reticulum
Inside of cell
cis region
Golgi apparatus
trans region
Cisternae
Proteins for use
within the cell
Proteins for use
outside the cell
Plasma
membrane
Play the video
Outside of cell
Lysosomes
• Function:
• A little “stomach”
for the cell
• Lyso-=breaking things
apart
• -some=body
• Clean up crew of the
cell
Lysosome
• Structure
– Membrane bounded sac of hydrolytic
enzymes and molecules that digests
macromolecules
• Enzymes & membrane of lysosomes are
synthesized by rough ER & transferred to the golgi
Only in animal cells
Lysosomes in the Cell
Cellular digestion
• Lysosomes fuse with
food vacuoles
• Polymers are
digested into
monomers
– Pass to cytosol to
become nutrients of
cell
Lysosomal enzymes
• Lysosomal enzymes work best at pH 5
– Organelle creates custom pH
– Enzymes are very pH sensitive
• Why evolve digestive enzymes which
function at pH different from cytosol
– Digestive enzymes won’t function well if leak
into cytosol=don’t want to digest yourself
Cell death…
• Apoptosis=cell death
– Critical role in programmed destruction of
cells in multicellular organisms
• Auto-destruct mechanism
– “cell suicide”
• Some cells have to die in an organized fashion
especially during development
– Ex. Development of space between your fingers during
embryonic development
– ex. If cell grows improperly this self destruct mechanism
is triggered to remove damaged cell
» Cancer over rides this to enable tumor growth
When things go wrong…
• What if a lysosome digestive
enzyme didn’t function
– Don’t digest a biomolecule
• Instead biomolecule collects
in lysosomes
• Lysosomes fill up with
undigested material
– Lysosomes grow larger &
larger
• Eventually disrupt cell &
organ function
• Lysosomal storage diseases
are usually fatal
– Tay-Sachs disease
• Lipids build up in brain cells
• Child dies before age 5
Peroxisomes
• Other digestive
enzyme sacs
– In both plants and
animals
– Breakdown fatty acids
to sugars
• Easier to transport &
use as energy source
– Detoxify cell
• Detoxifies alcohol &
other poisons
– Produce perioxide
(H2O2)
Central Vacuole
• Functions in plants
• Storage
• Stockpiling proteins or inorganic
ions
• Depositing metabolic byproducts
• Storing pigments
• Storing defensive compounds
against herbivores
• Selective membrane (tonoplast)
• Control what comes in and out
• Maintains turgor pressure
• Often largest structure in plant
cell
Other Types of Vacuoles
• Food vacuoles
– Are formed by phagocytosis
• Contractile vacuoles
– Pump excess water out of protist cells
The Endomembrane System:
A Review
• The endomembrane
system is a complex and
dynamic player in the
cell’s compartmental
organization