Final answer:
The Golgi apparatus dissociates into individual stacks of cisternae as part of normal cellular processes such as mitosis or in response to stress and continues its function of modifying and sorting proteins and lipids.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Golgi apparatus is a critical organelle involved in the modification, sorting, and packaging of proteins and lipids for cell secretion or use within the cell. When the Golgi dissociates into individual stacks of cisternae, this can be part of the process called mitosis or can occur as a response to stress. Each stack maintains its ability to modify cellular products, which are marked with molecular tags such as phosphates or sugar molecules that determine their destinations. For example, the addition of mannose-6-phosphate signals the protein for lysosomes. Normally, vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) fuse with the cis face of the Golgi and progress through the medial-Golgi, endo-Golgi, and to the trans-Golgi network, where they are finally packaged and sent off.