The Golgi Apparatus

I teach Anatomy & Physiology. At the beginning of the class, we review basics of chemistry and biology, including talking about organelles common to eukaryotic cells, including the Golgi apparatus. It was one of the first organelles discovered. Exactly how it works is not understood. Molecules, such as proteins and lipids, made in other parts of the cell, are modified there, and often packaged in vesicles for transport somewhere else in the cell, or to the membrane for secretion outside the cell.

The sources I've been reading about this seem to emphasize the secretion part, though my understanding is that many of the proteins modified in the Golgi apparatus end up in the membrane, or stay within the cytoplasm. For example, lysosomes are made in the Golgi. But the books, including the textbook I teach from, describe the Golgi as a sort of "post office" that packages and delivers proteins and other stuff outside the cell. And that is what the other teachers tell their students.

My trouble is that I like what I teach to be accurate. I don't like fudging details to keep things easier. I was rather annoyed at President Obama for simplifying his message by saying, "If you like your plan you can keep your plan." when he meant that you could keep your plan if it met the coverage requirements. Sure that makes the message complicated enough that people don't remember it, and lose interest before the end of the sentence, but it was accurate, and should have been said from the beginning.

I suppose I can say that the Golgi packages stuff for secretion or distribution within the cell, and let the teachers decide how to present that. I'm dealing with the "pre-class assignment" covering the review of cells. We've used the current version for maybe a year, but this quarter, someone brought up this objection to the current wording, and I hold the position of deciding what the final version will say. I don't mind fiddling with the wording, but I want it accurate, and I don't see why the change was requested a week after I sent in what was supposed to be the final draft, and not the week before, when I sent out the drafts for review. But maybe I brought on the request by sending in the "final" version. Maybe the data gods made sure she noticed the flaw right after the other version was emailed, because it was something within their meager power and they don't like me because I laugh at them, puny little bits of electronic code that they are.

Really, after the review of cell structure and function, I don't think we mention the Golgi apparatus again, so what we say about it can't be that critical. But the saved drafts are on the school's server, and I'm on break for a week, so to fix the problem, I'd have to make a special trip in to work. Ain't gonna happen. Sorry students, but your moments of confusion don't override my joy at wandering my own neighborhood for days on end. Besides, the Golgi was supposed to be review.