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Golgi apparatus

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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The Golgi body is a membranous structure within the cytoplasm of cells involved with the further modification of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. It is composed of a series of flattened, parallel chambers - cisternae - close to the cell nucleus and usually, rough endoplasmic reticulum. It is polarized. The cis face is the receptive end that accepts incoming vesicles from the rER; the trans face and particularly an area termed the trans-Golgi network, is involved in carefully forming vesicles and directing them to destinations such as lysosomes and the plasma membrane for exocytosis.

Within the cisternae, molecules are modified e.g.:

  • cleavage of polysaccharide chains on proteoglycans
  • glycosylation of sugar residues
  • phosphorylation of hydrolytic enzymes
  • positioning in the correct compartment e.g.:
    • some membrane proteins are confined to the inner leaflet of the lipid bilayer
    • glycosylated proteins are confined to the outer leaflet ready for fusion with the plasma membrane to form glycocalyx

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The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

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