Final answer:
The statement is false; N-linked sugar chains are found in glycoproteins on the cell surface, within the ER, and the Golgi apparatus, but not within mitochondria. Therefore, the given statement is FALSE.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is false. N-linked sugar chains are found on glycoproteins that face the cell surface, as well as on glycoproteins that face the lumen of the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus. However, they are not typically associated with the mitochondria. The process of glycosylation begins in the rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (RER) where a core glycan is created and partially attached to membrane proteins. These glycoproteins travel through the Golgi vesicles, where they undergo terminal glycosylation. When vesicles from the trans-Golgi network fuse with the plasma membrane, the sugars on the glycoproteins are exposed to the exterior cell surface.
Glycoproteins and glycolipids, which have carbohydrate oligomers attached to their outer lipid layer, play crucial roles in cell-cell recognition. These are part of the glycocalyx, and they provide a 'sugar coating' to the surface of the cell that is important for a variety of functions, including cell-to-cell communication and immune response.