Mitochondria Essay

Mitochondria are organelles that perform similar to a digestive system. They take in nutrients and break them down to create energy molecules for the cell. They perform a process called cellular respiration, where they generate chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ADT) from glucose (sugar). Mitochondria are small organelles that float around freely around the cell. These small capsule shaped cytoplasmic organelles are found in all eukaryotic animal and plant cells. Figure 1 shows the double membrane; the outer membrane is smooth and covers the organelle like a skin. The inner membrane folds over many times and creates layered structures called cristae; this structure creates more space to allow the production of energy faster.

The Golgi apparatus takes protein and adds sugar molecules to it, this process is known as glycosylation; it then forms glycoproteins. At the same time of glycosylation the Golgi apparatus tweaks the proteins and formulates, so they can produce a specific function. It is found especially in eukaryotic cells; these cells focus on protein synthesis and secretion. The Golgi apparatus is considered the final packaging area for proteins and lipids. Eventually at the end of the Golgi apparatus vesicles are formed, this happens when parts of the membrane begin to bulge. The vesicles then break away at this point and transport the proteins and lipids to their final destination. The Golgi apparatus was first discovered by Italian microbiologist Camilo Golgi in 1898. It is the only organelle to be capitalised as it is named after a person.Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) is an organelle found in both eukaryotic animal and plant cells. ER is crucial for manufacturing lipids and various proteins. It has a structure containing flattened sacs or tubes wrapped in membranes. Although there are two types of ER, Rough ER and Smooth ER they are each a part of one large