Which of the following cell organelles functions both as a passageway for intracellular transport and as a manufacturing surface?

The correct answer is Endoplasmic Reticulum

Key Points

• Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) is a large structure that helps in protein synthesis, calcium storage and lipid metabolism in the cell.
• It is a complex network of enclosed tubules that extends from the nuclear membrane and is located in the cytoplasm of the Eukaryotic cell.
• Endoplasmic Reticulum acts as a channel or a passage and lets proteins and lipids pass through it. Hence option 4 is correct.
• It is of two types: Smooth ER and Rough ER.
• The Rough ER is covered by ribosomes and functions in protein processing.
• The smooth ER is involved in lipids, instead of protein and metabolism.

Additional Information

• The Golgi Apparatus is a cell organelle that processes the proteins and lipid molecules and proteins that are destined to be exported from the cell.
  •  It is a part of the cell that is made up of membranes and some of them are tubules and nuclei.
• Lysosomes are membrane surrounded by cell organelle that contains digestive enzymes and helps break down excess or cell parts.
  • ​Apoptosis is the process in which if the cell is destroyed beyond repair, then the lysosomes help it to self-destruct.
• Mitochondria or called the powerhouse of the cell is a membrane-bound cell organelle which generates most of the chemical energy required for the cell.