Question

The cell membrane of a cell is made up of proteins and lipids. Which cell organelles help in the synthesis of cell membrane? Write the path of these compounds from their site of synthesis to the cell membrane and show this through a labelled diagram.

Answer 1

The following organelles help in the creation of the proteins and lipids that make up the cell membrane:

• Ribosomes connected to the Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (RER) synthesise proteins.
• The Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (SER) synthesises lipids.

These chemicals’ route to the cell membrane:

• The SER synthesises lipids, while ribosomes on the RER synthesise proteins.
• These lipids and proteins are transferred from the ER to the Golgi apparatus.
• The Golgi apparatus packages, sorts, and transforms them into vesicles.
• These vesicles go in the direction of the cell membrane and merge with it, adding lipids and proteins.

So the path is: RER (proteins) and SER (lipids) → Golgi apparatus → vesicles → plasma membrane (cell membrane).