GOLGI APPARATUS

 GOLGI APPARATUS

·    Golgi apparatus or Golgi body is present in Eukaryotic cells as one or more groups of flattened, membrane-bounded compartments or sacs.

·       This organelle was named after its discoverer, Camillo Golgi.

·   Golgi apparatus are located very near the Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum and hence near the Nucleus.

·       Golgi apparatus measures about 15 – 20 nm thick.

·      The Golgi apparatus is present in most eucaryotic cells, but many fungi and ciliate protozoa lack a well-formed structure.

·    Golgi apparatus is a discrete organelle consisting of a stack of several flattened, disc-shaped sacs called Cisternae.

·     Sometimes the Golgi consists of a single stack of Cisternae. However, many cells may contain up to 20, and sometimes more, separate stacks. These stacks of Cisternae, often called Dictyosomes, can be clustered in one region or scattered about the cell.

·    The Golgi body packages secretions in Sacs called Secretory vesicles, which then fuse with the Cytoplasmic membrane before dumping their contents outside the cell via Exocytosis.

Functions of Golgi apparatus

·       Golgi apparatus is a cell organelle that helps process and package Proteins and Lipid molecules.

·       A Golgi body is like the “Shipping department” of a cell. It receives, processes, and packages large molecules for export from the cell.