Answer – The function of rough endoplasmic reticulum is to produce proteins.
Explanation:
Cells have two types of endoplasmic reticulum – rough and smooth. Rough ER is essentially smooth ER, with the addition of ribosomes attached to the outer side of their membranes.
Ribosomes are needed for the production of protein as they translate mRNA to form polypeptide chains. When attached to the membranous sac-like structure of the endoplasmic reticulum, the process of protein assembly is taken forward.
The functions that proteins perform are determined by the specific combinations of amino acids that make them up. It is within the RER that these are recognized, and the proteins are dispersed within and outside the cell accordingly.
The center of the sacs of the RER are the space where polypeptide chains from the ribosomes are attached and folded to form the precise structures that proteins have to have in order to fulfill their functions. The end results are checked, and if any defects of structure or composition are detected, they are broken back down into amino acids which are then reused in the formation of new polypeptide chains. Also, it is here that other groups such as sugars and metals are attached to protein molecules.
