Which organelle modifies, sorts, and packages proteins for secretion?

• A. Golgi bodies
• B. Lysosomes
• C. Ribosome
• D. Nucleic Acids

Answer: (A)

The Golgi apparatus acts as the cell’s post office, where proteins are modified, sorted, and packaged for secretion. After being made on ribosomes at the rough endoplasmic reticulum, many proteins are carried by transport vesicles to the Golgi. Inside, enzymes add or trim carbohydrate and other chemical groups, tweaking the protein’s structure and often its function. The Golgi then sorts these proteins, directing them to the correct destination by tagging them for secretion or for delivery to other organelles. Finally, the proteins are packaged into secretory vesicles that bud off and fuse with the plasma membrane to release their cargo outside the cell.

Lysosomes, by contrast, contain enzymes that break down waste and cellular debris. Ribosomes are the sites of protein synthesis, not modification or packaging. Nucleic acids are genetic material and do not function as an organelle that processes proteins for secretion.