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How Organelles Work Together to Make and Secrete the Protein Insulin

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Human Biology Unit 1 Assignment
The human body is made up of 100 trillion cells. All cells have the same basic structure (see figure 1) however some cells are specialised to suit a specific purpose. An example of this is the pancreatic beta cells found in the islets of Langerhans. These cells are specialised to synthesise the protein insulin that is involved in the metabolism of glucose in the cells. (Layden, 2010)
Figure 1 - Picture to show basic structure of a cell.

(Farrabee, M J. 2007)
But how is insulin made? The production of insulin starts in the nucleus which is the cellular organelle where the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is found. They form a series of multiple linear molecules which are then folded in the nucleolus in to …show more content…

(Mandal, no Date)
The rough ER is an extensive organelle composed of a greatly convoluted but flattened sealed sac. Studded on its outer surface are ribosomes. It is involved in the production, folding, quality control and despatch of proteins. (BSCB, 2013)

The smooth ER is a separate sealed interconnecting network. It is associated in the; metabolism and production of lipids, steroid and hormone manufacturing, the transport of intracellular products and detoxification. (BSCB, 2013)

A vesicle is bubble like membranous structure that stores and transports cellular products and digests metabolic waste in a cell. (Biology Online, 2008)

The golgi complex is a structure composed of flattened sacs known as cisternae. It is involved in the modification and packaging of proteins, the manufacturing of lysosomes and transport of products via vesicles. (Bailey, R, 2013)

(Bailey, R. 2012)

Exocytosis is the process of how hormones, digestive enzymes and lipids are released from the cell. Vesicles containing the product pinch off from the sacs of the golgi apparatus and move towards the plasma membrane. The vesicles then fuse with the plasma membrane and release the product outside the cell. (CGP, 2009) The cell membrane surrounds all living cells, and is the cell’s most important organelle. It controls how substances can move in and out of the cell and allows cell

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