The Life of Smooth ER
By: Shanlie and Harley
Who I Am
I am a network of membranes within a cell's cytoplasm that produce a variety of molecules. I have two different parts: the rough ER and the Smooth ER.
Some people tell me I am a main manufacturing and transportation facility in a cell factory. I produce a large variety of molecules. I have another region called the rough ER. We are physically connected but we have different jobs, kind of like a conjoined twin.Where I Live
My kind can live in multiple different places; sometimes we live in liver cells where we like to detoxify products of natural metabolism and release glucose. Other times we live in steroid producing endocrine glands where we manufacture steroid hormones. We also might reside in kidney cells or skeletal cells.
Why I Am the Best!
I perform many different functions such as: building lipid molecules. I also produce and metabolize fats and steroid hormones in endocrine cells. Without me the fat and hormones in the cell would not break down, and having to much at one time is not good for the cell. I detoxify some organic chemicals by converting them to safer products.
This is a picture of both the rough and the smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum. This picture also has the nucleus and ribosomes.
This is a picture of just the Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum. It shows how it has membranes, and that it is smooth, it also has a very different shape than the rough ER as you can see in the picture above.
This is a picture of what the ER looks like under a microscope.