Does Cytoplasm Have Ribosomes? 7 Facts You Should Know

Ribosomes produces protein which is necessary for numerous cellular operations, including damage repair and chemical reactions control. Let us discuss more.

Unlike other cell organelles, cytoplasm also contains ribosomes in them that are found within the cytosol. Ribosomes are found scattered all over the surface of the cytoplasm.

Let us discuss if ribosomes are a cytoplasmic organelle, their location, composition, functions and many other related facts in this article.

Are ribosomes a cytoplasmic organelle?

Ribosomes are present in close proximity to endoplasmic reticulum. Let us know if ribosomes are a cytoplasmic organelle or not.

Ribosomes are considered as the cytoplasmic or cell organelle as because they are found in the surface of the cytoplasm of the cell. They maybe sometimes rough and sometimes smooth in texture. They are found in the form of small particles.

Ribosomes are also sometimes referred to as “non-membranous organelles” as because they do not have any phospholipid membrane.

Where are ribosomes found in the cytoplasm?

Ribosomes are present in the cytoplasm and are considered as cell organelles that produce proteins. Let us find out the location of ribosomes in cytoplasm.

Ribosomes are found within the cytosol of cytoplasm that are present in both plant and animal cells. Ribosomes are seen floating in the cytoplasm or sometimes attached or bind to the endoplasmic reticulum. They are not found within the nucleus of the cell.

Endomembrane system diagram en.svg
Endomembrane system- Image Credit: Wikipedia

What is ribosome made of?

A single ribosome has about 60% of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and about 40% of proteins in them approximately. Let us discuss more about the chemical composition of ribosome.

In addition to some ribosomal RNA, ribosomes also contain ribosomal proteins. This is why they are termed as riboprotein complexes. They are constructed when a large and a small subunit gets combined where, larger comes on top of smaller subunit, between them is an RNA template forming a sandwich.

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Eukaryotic ribosome- Image credit: Wikipedia

These proteins are required for cell functions like damage repair or regulating different chemical processes. The proteins formed by the free ribosomes (that are not attached to endoplasmic reticulum) are emancipated in the cytosol which is used inside the cell.

How does cytoplasm work with ribosomes?

The ribosomes and cytoplasm co-ordinates in a cell in order to perform various functions. Let us see how both of them work together with each other.

Ribosome and cytoplasm work together in the cell in the following ways:

  • Ribosomes produce proteins in the cytoplasm within the cell to perform various functions.
  • The cytoplasm itself makes use of the proteins synthesized there. The proteins that are synthesized by the bound ribosomes are released out of the cell.
  • Cytoskeleton gives the cytoplasm its shape and structure and is composed of a dynamic network of protein filaments embedded throughout the cytoplasm.
  • These ribosome gives cytoplasm its shape and size. The cytoskeleton that is made up of a dynamic matrix of filaments of proteins are enrooted all over cytoplasm.

How many types of ribosomes are found in the cytoplasm?

Each subunit is made up of a large number of ribosomal proteins and one or more ribosomal RNA (rRNA) molecules (r-proteins). Let us see look into their types in detail.

There are mainly two types of ribosomes that are found in the cytoplasm of the cell:

  • The eukaryotic ribosome: this is also termed as the 80S ribosome. Two subunits, a big 60S subunit and a tiny 40S subunit, make up this sort.
  • The prokaryotic ribosome: this is also termed as the 70S ribosome. This kind is made up of two subunits: a larger 50S subunit and a tiny 30S subunit.
Ribosome Structure 1
Ribosome structure- Image Credit: Wikipedia

There are also some other forms of ribosomes found in the cytoplasm based on their location. They are classified as follows:

  1. Bacterial ribosome: sedimentation coefficient of the substance is 70S and it is present in bacterial cells.
  2. Mitochondrial ribosome: found in mitochondria and are termed as mito-ribosomes which are usually considered as the 70S.
  3. Plastidial ribosome: present in chloroplasts are termed plastidial ribosomes or plastid-ribosomes which are 70S in the higher plants.
  4. Nuclear ribosome: ribonucleoprotein particles are present in the nucleus and are termed as nuclear ribosomes.
  5. Nucleolar ribosome: ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles of are present in the nucleolus are called nucleolar ribosomes.
  6. Cytoplasmic ribosome: large ribosome particles of the cytoplasm are termed cytoplasmic ribosomes.

Functions of ribosomes

Each organelle performs several functions in a cell for proper functioning. Let us explore the functions of ribosome in detail.

Some of the important functions of ribosomes include the following:

  • Ribosomes are those cell organelles that help in the synthesis of proteins.
  • Numerous cell functions, including repairing damage and different chemical reactions, depend on protein produced by ribosomes.
  • Ribosomes brings all the amino acids together in order to secrete proteins.
  • After that the DNA generates mRNA by the process called DNA transcription.
  • This mRNA is produced inside the nucleus and is transported to cytoplasm for the synthesis of proteins.
  • The ribosomal subunits that are present in the cytoplasm form a loop around the polymers of mRNA. Then the tRNA that consist of amino acids can synthesize proteins at the acceptor site.
  • While the proteins produced in the cytoplasm are utilized within the cytoplasm, those produced by bound ribosomes are transmitted outside of the cell.
  • In order to decode the information contained in the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), this cell organelle binds to the mRNA and decodes its nucleotide sequence.

Does cytoplasm have glyoximes?

Glyoximes are cell organelle that help in carrying out catabolic and anabolic pathways which take place in plant cells. Let us discuss if it is present in cytoplasm or not.

The cytoplasm contains glyoximes in it that are unique to the cells of plants only. The plant seedlings have the most of them. These molecules function as a component of the glyoxylate cycle, that creates fatty acids.

Conclusion

Ribosomes also known as Palade granules (named due to their granular structure), are macromolecular machines, found within all cells, that perform biological protein synthesis (mRNA translation). Ribosomes link amino acids together in the order specified by the codons of messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules to form polypeptide chains.

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