A certain type of specialized cell contains an unusually large amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER).

Which of the following functions is this cell type most likely specialized to perform?

The production and secretion of steroids

A

The destruction of toxic materials produced in other cells of the organism

B

The synthesis of polysaccharides for energy storage

C

The production and secretion of proteins

C) The production and secretion of proteins.

Explanation:

In the human body, many cells generally possess regions with low levels of either rough or smooth endoplasmic reticulum. However, many specialized cells can possess large amounts of these regions.

If we analyze the functions of both organelles we can determine why some cells have a higher or unusual larger amount of each. For instance, the main function of the Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum is the translation and folding of proteins. Therefore, specialized cells that synthesize or produce large amounts of enzymes (proteins), e. g. pancreatic secretory cells, have an expanded amount of ribosomes for protein translation and a higher amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum to fold the proteins.