Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prenticehall, Inc., 1999.
Source: http://cellbio.utmb.edu/cellbio/ribosome.htm
Accessed 12 Feb. 2000
Ribosomes, composed of RNA and protein, are important organelles. The beadlike
ribosomes are the site of protein synthesis. Thousands of them can be found in all cells,
and they are found either freefloating in the cytoplasm or attached to the endoplasmic
reticulum. When synthesizing, most ribosomes attach themselves to a messenger RNA
(mRNA) which provides genetic information. The information is translated into amino
acids, the building blocks of proteins. Since the ribosome itself is not specific to any one
protein, all ribosomes can build thousands of different types of proteins. They can
synthesize new membrane proteins for the endoplasmic reticulum, the nuclear membrane,
the Golgi complex, lysosomes, and the plasma membrane, among other things such as
digestive enzymes.
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Lysosomes