Smooth

Endoplasmic
Reticulum
by Esperanza Lopez and Vanessa Reveles
B5

What is Smooth E. R.

Smooth ER is a network of tubular membranes, forms a separate sealed interconnecting

network.

It is found fairly evenly distributed throughout the cytoplasm.

Smooth ER is called smooth because it has no ribosomes on its surface.

Smooth ER is the manufacture of lipids and in some cases to the metabolism of them and
associated products.

In liver cells for example smooth ER enables glycogen that is stored as granules on the external
surface of smooth ER to be broken down to glucose.

Smooth ER is also involved in the production of steroid hormones in the adrenal cortex and
endocrine glands.

The function of Smooth E. R.

The main function of the smooth ER is to make cellular products like hormones and lipids.

It also distributes those products throughout the cell and to other places in the organism.

Smooth ER also regulates and releases calcium ions and processes toxins.

Large amounts of smooth ER are found in liver cells where it detoxify products of natural
metabolism and to endeavour to detoxify overloads of ethanol derived from excess alcoholic
drinking and also barbiturates from drug overdose.

To assist with this, smooth ER can double its surface area within a few days, returning to its normal
size when the assault has subsided.

The contraction of muscle cells is triggered by the orderly release of calcium ions.

These ions are released from the smooth endoplasmic reticulum

The Structure of Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum

Smooth ER is a long network of a folded, tube-like structure.

You can think of it like a pipeline with a lot of twists and turns.

The interior of the smooth ER is called the lumen, which is enclosed by a

phospholipid membrane, just like the membrane that encloses the entire cell.

The number of smooth ER units in a cell depends on the type of cell and what
its manufacturing needs are.

These units are situated in the cytoplasm and are sometimes connected to a
unit of rough endoplasmic reticulum.

Summary

Smooth ER is called smooth because it has no ribosomes on its surface.

Smooth ER is also involved in the production of steroid hormones in the
adrenal cortex and endocrine glands.
The main function of the smooth ER is to make cellular products like
hormones and lipids.
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum is separate network of membrane enclosed
flattened tubules found in eukaryotic animal and plant cells.
Smooth ER is largely associated with lipid manufacture and metabolism and
steroid production hormone production.
It also has a detoxification function
Lumen:The cavity or channel within a tube or tubular organ.
cytoplasm: a thick, liquid residing between the cell membrane holding
organelles

Resources

Google
Wikipedia
biology-online.org
education-portal.com