2.6. Golgi Apparatus

Proteins that have been correctly translated from messenger RNAs and folded in or on the rough endoplasmic reticulum may be sent to a protein processing center called Golgi apparatus for further modification. Golgi bodies are organelles made of five to eight flattened sacs of membranes, called cisternae, which, under the microscope, look like a stack of pancakes. Proteins move from one cisternae to the next and are modified into their mature forms. The Golgi body concentrates, packages, and sorts mature proteins into membrane-bound vesicles that carry them to their proper intracellular destinations. In this respect, the Golgi bodies act like the postal service of the cell. Golgi bodies also produce polysaccharides for the cell wall.