Quick Facts
The Golgi complex is an intracellular compartment of eukaryotes, occupying the perinuclear region and consisting of a number of stacked, flattened sacs with associated tubules and vesicles. Its primary function is to process substances synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum; in addition it synthesizes some carbohydrates. Transport vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum fuse with the Golgi complex at the cis face, their cargo is processed while passing through the cisternae, and the processed products are transported from the trans face to the trans-Golgi network for sorting and packaging. The mechanism by which cargo moves through the Golgi complex is not clear; one model proposes transport between cisternae by vesicular budding and fusion, while another proposes dynamic remodeling and recycling so that the cisternae themselves change in composition and move in a cis-to-trans direction (Dorland, 2011).
Structure and/or Key Features
The Golgi complex, or Golgi apparatus, is a membranous intracellular organelle. It is composed of several flattened stacks, or cisternae, and measures approximated 5–10 µm in area (Pawlina, 2016).
Anatomical Relations
The Golgi complex is often found in the myoid zone of the photoreceptor inner segment. This zone is located between the cell nucleus and the zone of high mitochondria density (ellipsoid zone).
Function
The Golgi complex is responsible for the modification, sorting, and packaging of proteins and lipids for intracellular or extracellular transport. Therefore, a large number of vesicles are associated with the Golgi complex.
References
Dorland, W. (2011) Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 32nd edn. Philadelphia, USA: Elsevier Saunders.
Pawlina, W. 2016. Histology: A text and atlas with correlated cell and molecular biology. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.
