Cells of the adrenal cortex make steroid hormones in large amounts…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Cells of the adrenal cortex make steroid hormones in large amounts. (a) Which kind of ER would you expect to be well developed in them? Why? (b) Are the mitochondria of these cells part of the endomembrane system? Explain. (c) Name the two other organelles that, like mitochondria, are left out of the system.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Endomembrane system: ER, Golgi complex, lysosomes and vacuoles, with coordinated functions; not mitochondria, chloroplasts or peroxisomes. Rough ER: ribosomes, protein synthesis and secretion. Smooth ER: lipids, and steroid hormones in animal cells. Golgi apparatus: stacked cisternae with a cis (forming, convex) face and a trans (maturing, concave) face; packaging; glycoproteins and glycolipids. Lysosomes: from the Golgi, hydrolases active at acidic pH. Vacuoles: bound by the tonoplast, up to 90 per cent of a plant cell; contractile vacuoles in Amoeba; food vacuoles in protists.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The ER. Smooth ER, because it is the main site where lipids, and the lipid-like steroid hormones, are made.
Step 2. Mitochondria. No. Their functions are not coordinated with the ER, the Golgi, lysosomes and vacuoles, so they are not counted in the system.
Step 3. The others. Chloroplasts and peroxisomes.
Answer: (a) smooth ER, the site of lipid and steroid synthesis; (b) no, their work is not coordinated with the system; (c) chloroplasts and peroxisomes.
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