The Golgi Apparatus

The Golgi apparatus (GA) is typically comprised of a series of five to eight cup-shaped, membrane-covered sacs called cisternae that look something like a stack of deflated balloons. The GA is often considered the "distribution and shipping department" for the cell's chemical products. This book traces the first 100 years of GA discovery from the first published accounts from Pavia, Italy, in 1898 to the Centenary Celebration in Pavia, Italy, in 1998 to our most recent discoveries. It summarizes the past 50 years beginning with the modern era of GA discovery, leading up to the present era with almost exclusive focus on molecular biology.

In 1898 Camillo Golgi reported his newly observed intracellular structure, the apparato reticolare interno, now universally known as the Golgi Apparatus. The method he used was an ingenious histological technique (La reazione nera) which brought him fame for the discovery of neuronal networks and culminated in the award of the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1906. This technique, however, was not easily reproducible and led to a long-lasting controversy about the reality of the Golgi apparatus. Its identification as a ubiquitous organelle by electron microscopy turned out to be the breakthrough and incited an enormous wave of interest in this organelle at the end of the sixties. In recent years immunochemical techniques and molecular cloning approaches opened up new avenues and led to an ongoing resurgence of interest. The role of the Golgi apparatus in modifying, broadening and refining the structural information conferred by transcription/translation is now generally accepted but still incompletely understood. During the coming years, this topic certainly will remain center stage in the field of cell biology. The centennial of the discovery of this fascinating organelle prompted us to edit a new comprehensive book on the Golgi apparatus whose complexity necessitated the contributions of leading specialists in this field. This book is aimed at a broad readership of glycobiologists as well as cell and molecular biologists and may also be interesting for advanced students of biology and life sciences.

A comprehensive review of the Golgi apparatus and its functioning would require a multi-volume publication and not a monograph and it would be so repetitious as to discourage the reader. The requirement at this stage is for a reinterpretation of the character and functioning of this organelle since the last major interpretations have concentrated on its role in secretion and it has now been shown to be a component of essentially all cells whether or not they have been traditionally emphasized as secreting cells. As a conse quence the efforts have been placed on the common characteristics of the organelle, a postulate concerning its functioning in cells generally, and the details of variations where these seem important. The major acknowledgment of assistance in compiling the material must go to the investigators whose contributions, sometimes positive and sometimes of a character to spur additional investigations, allowed the development of this postulate. The paper has been prepared with the detailed assistance of Dr. MARIANNE DAUWALDER who, by her own studies and her insight into the significance of other studies, has been a working partner of many years in the development of a general hypothesis and whose knowledge of investiga tions of the Golgi apparatus is great enough to let her call attention to instances of support and contention with the general functional hypothesis that has been involved.

This volume takes a closer look how the cell organelles Golgi apparatus (also known as the Golgi complex or Golgi body), and centriole are structurally and functionally intertwined. Initially, it was believed that the role of Golgi complex is limited to the packaging and preparation for secretion of various cellular proteins, while the centriole participates in cell division and cilia formation. However, since their discovery nearly 200 years ago, it became clear that these two organelles are interacting, and that their functions are much more complex and far reaching than previously thought. Recent findings indicate that the Golgi–Centriole relationship may be important for directional protein transport, cell polarization and cell cycle progression. Current studies indicate that Golgi and centriole also participate in development and act as cellular and immunological sensors, and that their abnormalities lead to cell and developmental abnormalities, Alzheimer, cancer, various lipid disorders and neurological and immunological diseases in humans. This volume combines the latest information on the structure, molecular composition, and roles of Golgi and centriole in various cellular functions and diseases. The better understanding of the Golgi–centriole interactions may lead to the development of novel therapies for the treatment of various diseases, including cancer.

Plant Cells and Their Organelles provides a comprehensive overview of the structure and function of plant organelles. The text focuses on subcellular organelles while also providing relevant background on plant cells, tissues and organs. Coverage of the latest methods of light and electron microscopy and modern biochemical procedures for the isolation and identification of organelles help to provide a thorough and up-to-date companion text to the field of plant cell and subcellular biology. The book is designed as an advanced text for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students with student-friendly diagrams and clear explanations.

This book summarizes all new data obtained after development of methods of Golgi complex sub fractionation, molecular biology and microscopy. It collects the full range of expertise, different points of view and different approaches. The book is devoted to molecular modes of the function of the Golgi apparatus as a whole, taking into account all experimental data. The book aims to make the functional organization of the Golgi apparatus more understandable.

The Golgi apparatus is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. The primary function of the Golgi apparatus is to process and package macromolecules, such as proteins and lipids, after their synthesis and before they make their way to their destination. This book presents topical research data in the study of Golgi apparatus, including Golgi organization and stress sensing; signaling pathways controlling mitotic Golgi breakdown in mammalian cells; the role of Golgi apparatus in the biological mechanisms of hypericin-mediated photodynamic therapy; the role of the Trans-Golgi Network (TGN) in the sorting of nonenzymic lysosomal proteins; and the mechanisms involving the role of Golgi apparatus alteration in neurological disorders triggered by manganese.