ORGANELLE STRUCTURE AND

FUNCTION
HRB.Soeherman H,dr.,MKes

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lecture, the students should be able to

describe the components of the organelle structure and
function
References:
- Steven R-Goodman : Medical Cell Biology,second ed. 1998
- Lodish, H. :et.al. : Molecular Cell Biology. Third ed. 1995

The cytosol:
The cytosol is the fluid region of the
cell cytoplasm that lies outside of the
organelles.
It is now known that the cytosol of eukaryotic
cells contains a cytoskeleton composed of at
least three classes of fibers tubulin containing
microtubules (20 nm in diameter), actin
microfilaments (7 nm in diameter) and
intermediate filaments (10 nm in diameter.
at least five types of intermediate filaments,
each
made of a different type of protein, had been
identified in various animal cells.
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for
other cellular structure.
Transmission electron microscopy can
provide a
striking view of cytosolic fibers in an
unsectioned
cell.
By this technique, the cytosol of cultured
animal
cells is resolved almost exclusively into a
network
of microfilaments, microtubules, and
intermediate
filaments, which crisscross each other in
complex
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patterns so that different types of

The cytosol of many cells also contains

inclusion bodies, granules that are not
bounded by a membrane.
Some cells-specifically, muscle cells and
hepatocytes-contain cytosolic granules
of
glycogen.
The cytosol of the specialized fat cells in
adipose tissue contains large droplets
of
almost pure triacylglycerols, a storage
form
of fatty acids.
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In addition, the cytosol is a major site of

cellular
metabolism and contains a large number
of
different enzymes.
Its protein composition is high (about 2030
percent of the cytosol is protein, and the
cytosol
contains 25-50 percent of the total
protein
within cells).
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In animal cell, the organelles are small,

membranous cellular inclusion, floated in
the cytosol.
They keep various cellular activities
separated from one to another.
The organelles are:
- Plasma membrane
- Golgi Apparatus
-Nucleus
-Nucleolus
-Ribosome
-Endoplasmic reticulum
- Mitochondria

-Vacuole and vesicle

- Lysosome
- Cytoskeleton
- Peroxisome or
- Cilia and Flagella

microbodies
etc

Nucleus
Nucleus is a largest organelle, has a dia
meter of about 5 m.
Prominent organelle in eukaryotic cell
Stores genetic information
Separated from the cytoplasm by nuclear
envelope.
Nuclear envelope or nuclear membrane
consists of inner membrane and outer
membrane.
The space between inner and outer mem
brane is continues with the lumen of rough
endoplasmic reticulum.
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The two nuclear membranes fuse at the

nuclear pores.
Nuclear pores are contructive of specific
set of membrane protein.
It functions as channel between the
nucleus and the cytosol.
It regulates the movement of the material
from and to the nucleus.
Protein fibers associated with the inner
membrane of the nuclear envelope to
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The nucleus contains the nucleoplasm,

the nucleolus, fibrous matrix, DNA-protein
complex, chromatine-chromosome.
Chromatine looks grainy, but actually it is
thread like material.
Chemical analysis shows that chromatine
and chromosomes contain DNA, protein
and some RNA
Chromatine undergoes coiling into
chromosome just before the cell devides
It is immersed in the nucleoplasm
Nucleoplasm is sugested has a different
composition from cytosol.

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DNA
DNA is the hereditary or genetic material.
DNA stores information regarding its own
replication and the order in which amino
acid are to the joined to make protein
Nucleotide is a molecular complex of three
types of molecule: phosphate, pentose
sugar and a nitrogen containing base.
DNA is double stranded, the two strands
twisted about each other in the form of
double helix.
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 The sugar in DNA is deoxyribose

deoxy ribonucleic acid.
The bases in DNA consist of purine (two
rings) and pyrimidine (one ring).
The purine: Adenine (A) and Guanine (G)
The pyrimidine:Thymine (T) and Cytosin (C)
The sugar and phosphate as the backbone
of the strand and the bases project to one
side of the backbone.
Between the strands, Thymine (T) always
paired with Adenine (A) and Guanine (G)
with Cytosin (C). It is called complementary.
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NUCLEOLUS
Usually one nucleus has one nucleolus, but
sometime one nucleus has more than one
nucleolus or nucleoli.
Nucleolus is the one or two dark regions of
the chromatine, where ribosomal RNA
(rRNA) is produced.
rRNA joints with protein to form subunits of
the ribosomes.
The subunits of the ribosome leave the
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Endoplasmic Reticulum
ER is an interconnected network of internal
membrane
Has a number of functions in synthesis of
many membrane lipid and proteins
Smooth ER (sER) it lacks ribosomes.
Rough ER (rER) are studded with ribosomes

The smooth ER is the site of synthesis

and metabolism of fatty acids and
phospholipids.
The rough ER synthesize certain membrane
protein and organelle proteins.
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Secretory polypeptide from ribosom,

passes through rER, accumulate in the
lumen of rER before transported.
The secretory proteins are found in the
lumen of rER will be transfered to the
Golgi vesicles
Rough ER is particularly abundant in cells
that specialized to produce secreted
proteins.
The pancreatic acinar cells synthesize
digestive enzyme such as chymotrypsin,
because the cytosol filled with rER.

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The plasma cells produce antibodies also

caused by abundant rER in the cytosol.
Smooth ER are abundant in hepatocyte.
Enzyme in sER of the liver modify or
detoxify chemicals.
High doses of pesticides or carcinogens
result in a large proliferation of sER in the
liver.
Smooth ER also forms transport vesicles,
in which large molecules are transported.
.

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Ribosome.
Small particles composed of RNA and
proteins.
Composed of 2 subunits, a large subunit
and a small subunit.
Perform a very important function, they
carry out the protein synthesis.
Several ribosom synthesizing the same
protein are called polysome.
Polysome can lie freely in the cytosol or
attached to ER.
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Cells that produce proteins for secretion,

contain a ten million ribosomes.
The ribosomal RNA is produced in the
nucleolus and the subunits of ribosomes
are assembled.
The subunits of ribosoms pass through the
nuclear envelope at nuclear pore.
Some remains free within cytoplasm and
some attached to ER.

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Most proteins in mitochondria and all of the

protein in the other organelles, membrane
etc. are encode by nuclear DNA and are
synthesized on ribosome in the cytosol.
The membrane attached and membrane
unattached ribosomes synthesized different
protein.
On membrane attached ribosome, the
protein synthesized are those that enter the
secretory pathway during synthesized.
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This include secretory protein, lysosomal

enzymes, and proteins in the lumen of
ER, Golgi vesicles, secretory vesicles and
plasma membrane
Membrane-unattached ribosome
synthesize a large variety of proteins,
soluble cytosolic proteins, glycolytic
enzyme, sitoskeleton protein etc.

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Golgi Apparatus
Discovered by Camillo Golgi named
Golgi apparatus.
Consists of a stack of 3 20 curved
saccules.
The inner face is directed toward the ER
and the outer face toward the plasma
membrane.
Vesicles can frequently be seen at the
edges of the saccules.

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Maturation of secretory proteins

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Protein or lipid filled vesicles that bud from

the rER are received at the inner face or
cis face of Golgi apparatus.
Golgi Apparatus contains enzymes that
alter the carbohydrate chains of glycoproteins from rER.
The monomer carbohydrates could be
modified or phosphate might be added.
From Golgi face, through Golgi vesicles
migrate to further modification to medial
Golgi trans Golgi reticulum.
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The products in vesicles depart the Golgi

apparatus to the outer face or trans face.
The proteins are suthtled between Golgi
vesicles by small transport vesicle.
Some proteins are stored in secretory
vesicle awaiting a signal for secretion.
Proteins are also sorted in the trans Golgi
vesicle. The vesicles move to the other
organelles such as lisosome.
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Some vesicles proceed to plasma

membrane and discharge their contents as
secretion.
The secretion is termed exocytosis.
Some of secretory proteins are secreted
continuously.
Collagen secretion by fibroblast and
serum protein by hepatocytes are
continuous secretion.
Continuous secretion also termed as
constitutive secretion.
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In certain cells the secretion is not continuous but stored inside the vesicles, the
secretory vesicles.
The stimulus for exocytosis triggered the
secretory vesicles to release the
secretion.
The secretion is termed as regulated
secretion.
Examples of this: exocrine cells of pancreas
which secrete precursor of digestive enzyme,
hormone secreting endocrine cells synthesize
insulin and other hormones and store them in
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the vesicle secretory.

Lysosome
Vesicles produced by Golgi apparatus.
Contains hydrolytic digestive enzymes.
Molecules are brought into cell fuse with
lysosome digested by enzyme simple
subunits cytoplasm.
Bacteria are engulfed by white blood cell
fuse with lysosome digested.
Autodigestion:parts of the cells are digested
by its own enzymes rejuvenation, during
development, apoptosis or programmed cell
death.
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 A metabolic disorder: a missing or inactive

lysosomal enzymes macromolecules
cannot be broken down full of lysosome
die.
The lysosomal enzymes are precursors:
proenzyme maturation
enzymatically active polypeptide.
Maturation occurs in the acidic endosome
or lysosome.
lysosomal enzyme inserted into the ER
lumen, receive olygosaccharide.
From ER move to cis Golgi.
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In the cis Golgi the olygosaccharide

become
phosphorilated mannose 6 phosphate
In order the lysosomal enzyme diverted to
lysosome it must bind to receptor M6P.
The M6P receptor are located in trans Golgi
bind to lysosomal enzyme coated
vesicles transported to the lysosome.
Some M6P receptors are found on the cell
surface bind the lysosomal protein
contains M6P.
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Genetic defects caused by abnormality of

M6P receptor.
Patients of I cell disease, a severe
genetic abnormality deficiency of
multiple lysosomal enzyme in fibroblasts
and macrophage.
The fibroblasts and macrophage contain
large intracellular vesicles filled with
inclusion bodies cannot digested by
the lysosomal enzyme.
Cells from this patients lack the lysosomal
enzyme caused by the lysosom is empty.
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PEROXISOME
Peroxisomes are microbodies that contain
enzymes for oxidizing small organic
molecules with the formation of hydrogen
peroxide (H2O2).
Microbodies are small vesicle bounded
by membrane contain specific enzymes.
Microbodies are produced by ER, their
proteins are encoded by nuclear genes.
Peroxisomes membrane are also synthe
sized on free ribosomes

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The size and enzyme composition vary

considerably, but peroxisomes are always
contain catalase or peroxidase
Peroxisomes are present in all eukaryotic
cells.
Most abundant in liver cells, detoxify
alcohol and metabolize lipids.
Hydrogen peroxide is a toxic molecule .
Peroxisomes lead to progressive
enlargement and divided into new ones..
In plants, peroxisome called glyoxisome
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Receptor and transport proteins in the

peroxisome membrane are also required.
The mutation defect in the receptor or
transport protein.
Mutation defective peroxisome
assembly.
Zellweger syndrome the transport of all
proteins in the peroxisome matrix is
impaired.
The cells contain empty peroxisome
The patients has defective in the oxidation
of the very long chains fatty acids.
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Mitochondria
Most eukaryotic cells, plants and animals
contain mitochondria.
Mitochondria formation of ATP
(adenosine triphosphate).
The size and the shape is variable
usually 0.5-1.0 um in diameter and 2-5
um
in length.
Mitochondria as the nucleus is bounded
by two different membrane, the inner and
the outer membrane.
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The outer membrane contains the protein

porin, form transmembrane channels
freely permeable to small molecules,
particularly to protons.
The inner membrane contains cardiolipin,
the lipid concentrated reduce the
permeability to protons permeability
barrier between cytosol and matrix.
The inner membrane invaginates cristae
provide a much greater surface area.
The cristae project into the matrix, the inner
space filled with semifluid medium contains
enzymes.
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The enzymes break down carbohydrates

and lipids products ATP production.
The matrix also contains DNA and
ribosome synthesize its own protein.
Metabolism of pyruvate and fatty acids.
In the cytosol, glucose by glycolysis is
converted to pyruvate and lipids are
hydrolyzed to fatty acids and glycerol.
Pyruvate and fatty acids transported into
matrix oxidized to acetyl CoA.
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The final stage of the oxidation is the

citric acid cycle or Krebs cycle NADH
and FADH2
The free energy released during
oxidation of NADH and FADH2 ATP
from ADP.
The inner membrane and the matrix are
the sites of the synthesis of ATP from
ADP and P.
The processes are very complicated.
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