Question

Who discovered golgi apparatus? Describe its structure and function.

Answer 1

Discovery of Golgi apparatus:

1. Camillo Golgi discovered the Golgi apparatus in 1898.
2. He discovered them in nerve cells as apparato reticolare interno means 'internal reticular apparatus by chromoargentic staining and organelle was named after him in 1898.
3. It was known as the “Golgi apparatus” in 1910 and the “Golgi complex” in 1956.

Golgi apparatus:

1. The Golgi apparatus has a flat membrane, enclosed disk, and fused structure known as cisternae that bud off the endoplasmic reticulum.
2. It looks like a maze has a smooth, curvy structure.
3. Many peripheral tubules and secretory vesicles are located at the edge of it.
4. Its front end is called cis which serves as a receiving point and the back one known as trans are shipping points.
5. The Golgi apparatus itself is structurally polarized, with three primary compartments located between the "cis" face and the "trans" face.

Cisternae:

1. Cisternae are all membrane-bound sacs that can be found in both the Golgi apparatus and the endoplasmic reticulum.
2. Cisterna is an integral part of the packaging and modification processes of proteins that occur in the Golgi.

Lumen:

1. Lumens are tube-like structures that have outer and inner walls, and inner walls are spaced inside.

Transport vesicle:

1. Any vesicle of the constitutive secretory pathway that carries cargo from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi, between Golgi cisternae, or to destinations within or outside the cell.
2. Transport vesicles destined for the plasma membrane usually leave the trans Golgi network in a steady stream.
3. The membrane proteins and lipids in these vesicles provides new components for the cell's plasma membrane, while soluble proteins inside the vesicles are secreted into the extracellular space.

Trans Face:

1. Each Golgi stack has two distinct ends or faces.
2. The cis face of the Golgi stack is the end of the organelle where substances enter from the endoplasmic reticulum for processing.
3. The trans face is where they exit as small detached vesicles.

Functions of Golgi:

1. It acts as a factory where endoplasmic reticulum is received and transported to their destination like lysosomes, plasma membrane, or secretion so they are also known as “traffic police”.
2. It is also involved in lipid transport and the formation of lysosomes.
3. It is also involved in the secretion of materials of cell wall formation.
4. Its other functions are phosphorylation, secretion, synthesis, and apoptosis.
5. It is a site for the synthesis and processing of sphingomyelin, glycolipid, and polysaccharide.