How does the Golgi Apparatus function?
The Golgi apparatus, or Golgi complex, functions as a factory in which proteins received from the Endoplasmic Reticulum are further processed and sorted for transport to their eventual destinations: lysosomes, the plasma membrane, or secretion. The Golgi apparatus is analogous to the finishing and packing room in a factory. Once the ribosome finishes manufacturing a protein in the rough ER, the protein needs to be prepared for use or export. Special enzymes will trim off any extra amino acids, and then the unfinished protein moves through channels in the smooth ER. Eventually, some of the smooth ER membrane is pinched off as a SPHERICAL VESICLE. The proteins are either contained inside these structures or are carried on their surfaces. These vesicles are absorbed by the Golgi apparatus, and proteins are processed as they pass from one sac to the next. As the proteins move they are processed. When the protein is ready for export, it is pinched off of the Golgi and released into the cyto
