ACTIVITY 2
(Parts of the Cell)
You do not consume alcoholic beverages, but your friend does, and he consumes these drinks regularly and in large amounts. If we could examine your liver cells and compare it with your friend, would we see a difference in smooth endoplasmic reticulum and peroxisomes?
Yes, we would see a difference in smooth ER and peroxisomes between the non-alcoholic and alcoholic person. Given that many of the enzymes produced in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum are required for alcohol metabolism, cells will begin to develop more smooth ER to maintain enough enzymatic function to metabolize the alcohol. Thus, we can infer that the person consuming alcohol frequently will have an increased number of smooth ER and peroxisomes as compared to a non-alcoholic person.