Article
Article
Endoplasmic reticulum
Article By:
Walter, Peter Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, California.
Blobel, Günter B. Formerly, Department of Cell Biology, Rockefeller University, New York, New York. Nobelist.
Last reviewed:March 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.232300
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- Endoplasmic reticulum, published January 2019:Download PDF
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An intracellular membrane system that is present in all eukaryotic cells. The endoplasmic reticulum (Fig. 1), which is found within the cytoplasm of all eukaryotic cells, consists of one continuous membrane, enclosing a single space in which most secretory and extracellular domains of plasma membrane proteins are folded. The endoplasmic reticulum serves as a calcium store and is a major site for lipid biosynthesis. It also plays a key role in protein manufacture, folding, and transport. See also: Calcium metabolism; Cell (biology); Cell membrane; Cell organization; Eukaryota; Lipid; Lipid metabolism; Protein; Protein folding
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