How cell parts work together to make and ship a protein
Grade 9 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.
Cell cutaway (animal cell, model, not to scale). Ari's class studies a gland cell that releases a digestive enzyme, a protein. Letter C, the Golgi apparatus, stops working. What most likely happens to the enzyme?
- No enzyme is made, because the Golgi apparatus builds the protein
- It still leaves the cell, because each part works alone
- It is held up at the plasma membrane, because the Golgi comes last
- It is made and folded but not packaged, so it stays in the cell
Read this first
Use this
Cell cutaway (animal cell, model, not to scale). The route has 7 stations, numbered 1 to 7, joined by arrows. Letter A marks the large round body near the middle, with a double wall (station 1). Letter B marks a small gap in the wall of the large round body (station 2). Letter C marks the flat folded sacs studded with tiny dots, joined to the wall of the large round body (station 3). Letter D marks the stack of curved smooth sacs, away from the dotted sacs (station 5).
Bo studies a cell that releases a protein. Its nuclear pores, letter B, become blocked. What most likely happens at the rough ER, letter C?
- Little new protein is built, because mRNA cannot reach the ribosomes
- The Golgi apparatus builds the protein instead, so release goes on
- The nucleus builds the protein inside and passes it on, so release goes on
- Protein piles up at the Golgi, because the pore comes after the Golgi
Use the table
Pulse-chase card, read about only: a teacher added labeled amino acids to a gland cell for a short time, then followed the label. Where the labeled enzyme is found (model data)
minutes after labeling most label found in 3 rough ER 12 transport vesicles 25 Golgi apparatus 40 secretory vesicles 60 outside the cell Jun reads a pulse-chase card. The label is in the Golgi apparatus at 25 minutes. Where is it found next, and why?
- In the Golgi still, because the Golgi builds more protein from the label
- Back in the rough ER, because the Golgi sends proteins back to be built
- In secretory vesicles, because the Golgi packages proteins for shipping
- In transport vesicles, which stay fixed beside the Golgi apparatus
Pulse-chase card, read about only: a teacher followed a labeled membrane protein through a cell. Kira reads a card for a membrane protein. At 45 minutes the label is in the plasma membrane. What carried it there?
Pulse-chase card, read about only: a teacher followed a labeled membrane protein through a cell. Where a labeled membrane protein is found (model data), 4 rows. Columns: minutes after labeling, most label found in. 5, rough ER; 15, Golgi apparatus; 30, secretory vesicles; 45, plasma membrane. Pulse-chase card, read about only: a teacher followed a labeled membrane protein through a cell. Where a labeled membrane protein is found (model data), 4 rows. Columns: minutes after labeling, most label found in. 5, rough ER; 15, Golgi apparatus; 30, secretory vesicles; 45, plasma membrane. Where a labeled membrane protein is found (model data) minutes after labeling most label found in 5 rough ER 15 Golgi apparatus 30 secretory vesicles 45 plasma membrane - A transport vesicle from the rough ER, skipping the Golgi apparatus
- The nucleus, which sent the finished protein straight there
- A secretory vesicle from the Golgi that fused with the membrane
- A permanent pipe running from the rough ER to the membrane
Use the table
Pulse-chase card, read about only. Share of the label in each place (model data)
minutes after labeling rough ER (%) Golgi apparatus (%) outside the cell (%) 5 80 15 5 20 30 55 15 40 10 25 65 Luz reads the card. Which statement about the label is best supported by the table?
- Each part works alone, because the shares in each row add up to 100
- It moves from the rough ER to the Golgi to outside, so parts pass it along
- The Golgi built the label, because its share is largest at 20 minutes
- It moves from outside to the Golgi to the rough ER, because outside is largest at 40 minutes
Parts counted in one slice of each cell (model data)
cell rough ER sacs mitochondria P 48 12 Q 9 85 Milo reads counts for two cells. One is from a salivary gland and releases a digestive enzyme. The other is a muscle cell. Which pairing do the counts support?
- Q is the gland cell, because cells that secrete proteins have many mitochondria
- P is the gland cell, because mitochondria build the digestive enzyme
- P is the gland cell, since secreting cells have abundant rough ER
- Cannot tell, because each part works alone, so counts do not follow the job
Noah reads that cell X is a pancreas cell that makes digestive enzymes, which are proteins. Cell Y makes little protein. Which statement fits the counts?
- X has more ribosomes, yet the Golgi apparatus is what builds the protein
- X has far more ribosomes, as cells making much protein need them
- Y has more ribosomes, because cells that make little protein need more
- X has more ribosomes and more nuclei to build the extra protein
“Cell cutaway” Pia reads that a muscle cell has a very high concentration of one part that produces ATP. Which lettered part is it?
Cell cutaway (animal cell, model, not to scale). Letter A marks a bean-shaped part with a folded inside. Letter B marks the large round body near the middle, with a double wall. Letter C marks the flat folded sacs studded with tiny dots, joined to the wall of the large round body. Letter D marks the stack of curved smooth sacs, away from the dotted sacs. Cell cutaway (animal cell, model, not to scale). Letter A marks a bean-shaped part with a folded inside. Letter B marks the large round body near the middle, with a double wall. Letter C marks the flat folded sacs studded with tiny dots, joined to the wall of the large round body. Letter D marks the stack of curved smooth sacs, away from the dotted sacs. animal cell, model, not to scale A B C D - Letter C, the rough ER, which produces ATP on its ribosomes
- Letter B, the nucleus, which builds the proteins that make muscle contract
- Letter D, the Golgi apparatus, which packages the proteins muscle cells use
- Letter A, the mitochondrion, which produces the ATP the muscle cell uses
Ren asks how the rough ER (A) and the Golgi apparatus (C) work together on a protein that leaves the cell. Which statement is right?
Cell cutaway (animal cell, model, not to scale). The route has 7 stations, numbered 1 to 7, joined by arrows. Letter A marks the flat folded sacs studded with tiny dots, joined to the wall of the large round body (station 3). Letter B marks a small bubble between the dotted sacs and the stack of curved smooth sacs (station 4). Letter C marks the stack of curved smooth sacs, away from the dotted sacs (station 5). Letter D marks a small bubble between the stack of curved sacs and the cell edge (station 6). Cell cutaway (animal cell, model, not to scale). The route has 7 stations, numbered 1 to 7, joined by arrows. Letter A marks the flat folded sacs studded with tiny dots, joined to the wall of the large round body (station 3). Letter B marks a small bubble between the dotted sacs and the stack of curved smooth sacs (station 4). Letter C marks the stack of curved smooth sacs, away from the dotted sacs (station 5). Letter D marks a small bubble between the stack of curved sacs and the cell edge (station 6). 3 A 4 B 5 C 6 D 1 2 7 - The rough ER makes and folds it, then a vesicle hands it to the Golgi
- The Golgi builds the protein first, then the rough ER packages it for release
- Each part works alone: the Golgi builds its own second copy of the protein
- A permanent pipe joins the two parts, and the protein slides through it
Use this
Cell cutaway (animal cell, model, not to scale). The route has 7 stations, numbered 1 to 7, joined by arrows. Letter A marks the large round body near the middle, with a double wall (station 1). Letter B marks a small gap in the wall of the large round body (station 2). Letter C marks the flat folded sacs studded with tiny dots, joined to the wall of the large round body (station 3).
Zee asks what the ribosomes on the rough ER (C) need from the nucleus (A) before they can build a protein. What is it?
Cell cutaway (animal cell, model, not to scale). The route has 7 stations, numbered 1 to 7, joined by arrows. Letter A marks the large round body near the middle, with a double wall (station 1). Letter B marks a small gap in the wall of the large round body (station 2). Letter C marks the flat folded sacs studded with tiny dots, joined to the wall of the large round body (station 3). Cell cutaway (animal cell, model, not to scale). The route has 7 stations, numbered 1 to 7, joined by arrows. Letter A marks the large round body near the middle, with a double wall (station 1). Letter B marks a small gap in the wall of the large round body (station 2). Letter C marks the flat folded sacs studded with tiny dots, joined to the wall of the large round body (station 3). 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 A B C animal cell - A packaged protein sent over from the Golgi apparatus
- mRNA, which leaves A through B with the message for the protein
- The finished protein, which A builds inside and passes out through B
- Nothing, since the rough ER builds proteins without any help from A