Practice question · Multiple choice
Why do liver cells have unusually extensive smooth endoplasmic reticulum?
Hints
- Ask what smooth ER does that rough ER does not.
- Detoxification is a smooth ER function, and it is central to what the liver is for.
Show the answer
B. Smooth ER carries out detoxification, which is a major liver function
Why
Smooth ER handles lipid synthesis, calcium storage and detoxification, and the liver detoxifies for the whole body. Protein secretion would need rough ER, and sustained alcohol intake measurably expands the smooth ER of liver cells.
Practise The Endomembrane System
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