Golgi Complex

Intro | Cytoplasm | Endoplasmic Reticulum | Golgi Complex | Microtubules | Mitochondria | Nucleus | Plasma Membrane | Ribosomes

Part 1: Image-Mapped Tutorial
Part 2: Matching Self-Test
Part 3: Multiple-Choice Self-Test

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The Golgi Complex (also known as Golgi apparatus) is a specialized type of endoplasmic reticulum. It is a network of membranes that looks much like a stack of fat plates. This complex is capable of producing molecular products of a neuron, such as hormones, and is involved in the final modification of proteins. Upon completion, the Golgi membrane is used to wrap the molecular products in sacs or vesicles for storage, and eventual transport to the plasma membrane where the products are secreted outside the cell. The process by which the vesicle membrane fuses with the plasma membrane and then bursts open into the extracellular space is called exocytosis.