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Your liver is where most of the toxins in your body are broken down. For what organelle would you expect liver cells to be enriched?

User Neelsg
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Final answer:

Liver cells are enriched with peroxisomes and rough endoplasmic reticulum, which play a critical role in detoxifying substances such as alcohol and breaking down byproducts like hydrogen peroxide into harmless substances.

Step-by-step explanation:

The organelle for which you would expect liver cells to be enriched, given their role in breaking down toxins, is the peroxisome. Peroxisomes carry out oxidation reactions that break down fatty acids and amino acids, and they are also crucial in detoxifying poisons, such as alcohol, that enter the body. Liver cells, in particular, contain a high number of peroxisomes to manage the detoxification process efficiently.

In addition to peroxisomes, liver cells are also enriched with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), specifically the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), which is involved in modifying proteins, such as enzymes that aid in detoxification. The enzymes within peroxisomes convert hydrogen peroxide, a toxic byproduct of oxidation reactions, into water and oxygen, which are safely released into the cytoplasm. This process underscores the liver's essential role in neutralizing harmful toxins before they circulate through the rest of the body.

User Pam Lahoud
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