Activity 3.

1
The Endomembrane System:
The Cell in Action: ER, Golgi, and Lysosomes:

Name: Velasco, Josiah M. Period: Date: 10/08/2021

The Cell in Action: ER, Golgi, and Lysosomes:
1. Scenario : Counterattack!

When you fight off a virus,

your immune system produces
antibodies. Antibodies are
virus-killing proteins that are
made in white blood cells and
released into the blood.
As white blood cells produce
antibodies, their appearance
changes. Their cytoplasm becomes
filled with endoplasmic reticulum
(ER). There’s also a lot of Golgi
Apparatus.
What’s going on?
Figure 1: A White blood cell fills up with
endoplasmic reticulum as it produces
antibodies

The ER is a vast internal

network of channels separated from
the rest of the cytoplasm by
membrane . The Golgi is similar,
except for that instead of channels,
the Golgi forms a series of
flattened, elongated sacs, also
bound by membranes.

In the diagram to the left,

Figure 2: Nucleus, ER, Golgi, Membrane
the nucleus is shown at 1. The
endoplasmic reticulum is at 2 and 3.
The Golgi is at 5.
The left side of the ER is covered by many ribosomes, which are shown as dots in this
illustration. Ribosomes are the cell’s protein factories: they’ll make any protein that they’re
told to make, based on instructions they receive from the nucleus. ER with ribosomes is called
Rough ER. ER without ribosomes is smooth ER, and we’ll discuss it more below.
Antibodies, like all proteins that will be exported out of the cell, are made at the
rough ER (2). As the antibody is made, it gets put into the channels of the ER. It then moves to
the Smooth ER (3). In the same way that bubbles can form from a soap film, the smooth ER will
bud off a bubble of membrane, also known as a vesicle (4). A vesicle is the name we give to any
small, membrane bound sac that’s transporting substances from one area of the cell to another.
This vesicle, containing the antibody, will merge with the Golgi Apparatus (5). The
Golgi has enzymes that modify the antibody, getting the antibody into the exact form it will
need to be in to bind with and destroy the virus. When the Golgi is done, it buds off another
vesicle (6). This vesicle will fuse with the cell membrane (8). As it does, the antibody will be
 dumped into the cell’s exterior. In this case, that means the bloodstream. The antibody will now
float in the blood and, hopefully, bind with the virus, helping to destroy it.
2. Understanding Cell Processes and Structures: Based on the reading on the opposite side, create a key for the diagram below
and to the right. Note that we’re deliberately skipping numbers 3 and 7.
Numbe Name Based on the reading above, a quick summary of
r
its function
1 Nucleus Nucleus is the sender of instructions to ribosomes (cell’s
protein factories) as the receiver to make any protein.
2 Endoplasmic reticulum A White blood cell fills up with endoplasmic reticulum
as it produces antibodies.
4 Vesicle A vesicle is the name we give to any small, membrane
bound sac that’s transporting substances from one area
of the cell to another.
5 Golgi apparatus The Golgi forms a series of flattened, elongated sacs,
also
bound by membranes. It has enzymes that modify the
antibody, getting the antibody into the exact form it will
need to be in to bind with and destroy the virus.
6 Secretory Vesicle This vesicle will fuse with the cell membrane. As it
does, the antibody will be dumped into the cell’s
exterior. In this case, that means the bloodstream. The
antibody will now float in the blood and, hopefully, bind
with the virus, helping to destroy it.
8 Cell membrane Cell membranes protect and organize cells. All cells
have an outer plasma membrane that regulates not only
what enters the cell, but also how much of any given
substance comes in.

3. The endomembrane system: Create a key to the diagram below.

Numb Name Function/Role

er
1 Nuclear membrane The nuclear membrane serves as a barrier between the nucleus and the
cytoplasm, separating gene regulation and transcription in the nucleus
from translation in the cytoplasm
2 Nucleus pore Regulates the transportation of molecules between the nucleus and the
cytoplasm.
3 Rough endoplasmic reticulum Endoplasmic reticulum produces proteins for the rest of the cell to
function, Rough ER is the one who make those proteins.
4 Smooth endoplasmic reticulum It synthesizes lipids, phospholipids as in plasma membranes, and
steroids.
5 Ribosomes on the rough endoplasmic reticulum The rough endoplasmic reticulum has on it ribosomes, which are small,
round organelles whose function it is to make those proteins. Sometimes,
when those proteins are made improperly, the proteins stay within the
endoplasmic reticulum.
6 Proteins (macromolecules) Membrane proteins serve a range of important functions that helps cells
to communicate, maintain their shape, carry out changes triggered by
chemical messengers, and transport and share material.
7 Transport vesicle Transport vesicles carry proteins from the rough endoplasmic reticulum
to the cis face of the Golgi apparatus, where they fuse with the Golgi
membrane and empty their contents into the Golgi lumen.
8 Golgi apparatus The Golgi apparatus, or Golgi complex, functions as a factory in which
proteins received from the ER are further processed and sorted for
transport to their eventual destinations: lysosomes, the plasma
membrane, or secretion. In addition, as noted earlier, glycolipids and
sphingomyelin are synthesized within the Golgi.
9 Cisternae of the Golgi apparatus The cisternae play a crucial role in the packaging, modification, and
transport functions for the cell overall. The proteins and polysaccharides
that get processed here within the cisterna will then be sent to their
specified locations.
10 Secretory vesicle It mediates the vesicular transport of cargo hormones or
neurotransmitters - from an organelle to specific sites at the cell
membrane, where it docks and fuses to release its content.
11 Lysosomes (filled with hydrolytic enzymes) They break down excess or worn-out cell parts. They may be used to
destroy invading viruses and bacteria. If the cell is damaged beyond
repair, lysosomes can help it to self-destruct in a process called
programmed cell death, or apoptosis.
12 Cell membrane Cell membranes serve as barriers and gatekeepers. They are semi-
permeable, which means that some molecules can diffuse across the lipid
bilayer but others cannot.