Do Plant Cells Have Ribosomes? 9 Facts You should Know

Plant cells are eukaryotic cells, which perform complex mechanisms so that the organism sustains in the earth. Ribosome is an organelle in the cell which functions in order to aid in the survival process of the organism.

Do Plant Cells Have Ribosomes, the answer is Yes. The plant cell possesses ribosomes, which is the hot spot of protein synthesis. The ribosomes are present inside the cytosol of the plant cell. Ribosomes are like manufacturing machinery.

These machinery are present in the cytosol of the plant cell and this is the region where the small molecules of protein, that is the amino acids, are being synthesized or produced. 

do plant cells have ribosomes
Plant cell
Image credits- Flickr

The synthesis of the amino acid, which in combination is known as the protein molecule and this entire process is known as the translation process in the central dogma. 

The plant requires these proteins or the amino acid molecule for their structural development and bioprocesses, this can be achieved by the ribosomes by the protein synthesis taking place inside them.

Now let’s get into the 9 facts you must definitely know about the ribosomes in the plant cell.

Do all plant cells have ribosomes?

Plant cells are rectangular in shape and they possess a cell wall for protection and rigidity.

Yes, all plant cells have ribosomes in them, be it a rose plant or any vegetable plant or small herb plants to big trees. Every plant has ribosomes in them.

Due to the presence of these ribosomes they will be able to convert their raw material of food into the amino acid molecules and this amino acid gets linked to form protein and that’s how the plant gets protein in them.

How many ribosomes do plant cells have?

The synonym for this question is, how many stars are present in this universe.

Truely, the number of ribosomes in a plant cell can not be counted, measured, calculated or estimated even approximately. It is said that about 10 million ribosomes will be present in one plant cell.

The plant possesses many many number of ribosomes as much as the plant needs for its action.

Even a small plant requires more number of protein for its biological process and metabolism. So when the ribosome is the hot spot of the amino acid or the protein synthesis, it will require more and more number of ribosome.

Even much more than we expect!

Do eukaryotic plant cells have ribosomes?

We just saw that the eukaryotic cell performs complex mechanisms and reactions to sustain as a living being.

Yes, all plant cells are eukaryotic cells and the eukaryotic cells have ribosomes in them to perform and produce proteins for their biological mechanisms.

Where are ribosomes found in plant cells?

Ribosomes are located in 2 regions in the eukaryotic cell.

One, ribosomes are scattered in the cytoplasm or the cytosol of the cell and the second is they are attached to the endoplasmic reticulum of the cells.

The ribosomes in the cytoplasm floats on the fluid that is in the cytoplasm. Both the ribosome that is scattered in the cytoplasm as well as the ribosome that is attached to the endoplasmic reticulum performs the same function.

Do plant cells have 80s ribosomes?

Plant cells are eukaryotic cells, with all functionalities that are done by the eukaryotic organelle.

Yes, plant cells have 80S ribosomes consisting of the tiny little 40S subunit  and larger 60S subunit.

40 S + 60 S = 80 S

Where S is the Svedberg unit.

Do plant cells have 70s ribosomes?

Plant cell are not prokaryotic cell, prokaryotic cells are simple cells with no complex and fancy mechanism. Ex: Bacteria

No, Plant cells do not have 70 S. 70 S is present in the ribosomes of the prokaryotic cells which consist of the tiny 30S subunit and larger 50 S subunit.

30 S + 50 S= 70 S  

Where S is the Svedberg unit.

Do plant cells have free ribosomes?

Free ribosomes are the ribosomes that are freely floating in the cell surface and they are not attached to any membrane or organelle.

Yes, the plant cells have free ribosomes. The ribosomes in the cytoplasm of the plant cell have free ribosomes. The ones in the endoplasmic reticulum are not free ribosomes as they are attached to the endoplasmic reticulum.

Plant Cell Ribosomes Function:

Plant Cell
Ribosomes
Image credits- Wikimedia
  • The subunits in ribosomes that are present in the cytoplasm attach themselves to the mRNA sequences and the tRNA then produces the amino acid chain which will eventually connect and form the protein molecule.
  • The synthesized protein then is taken for cellular mechanism.
  • So ultimately the only function of ribosomes is they act as an assembling machine in which the synthesis of protein takes place.

Plant Cell Ribosomes Structure:

  • The ribosome in the plant cell have 2 parts
  • One is the 40 S subunit which is the small or the tiny subunit.
  • The second is the larger subunit which is the 60S subunit.
  • Imagine a sandwich, the small or the 40 S subunit is the bun that is present below, the upper bun is the larger or 60 S subunit, in between the mRNA sequence from which the proteins will be coded.
Ribosomes Original Image
Structure of ribosomes
Image credits- Wikimedia
  • This machine assembles and dissociates when needed.

Summary:

To conclude the article on the Plant cell ribosomes, the plant cells of course have ribosomes in them and they are the ones that aid the plant to produce protein for their cellular mechanism.

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