State the significance of membrane biogenesis.

Membrane biogenesis describes a process that takes place inside a cell. It is the process of plasma membrane or cell membrane formation. It is achieved by the active building blocks by the help of various proteins and lipids. A cell’s membrane is the covering of the cell that separates the contents of the cell from its external environment. Hence, cell membrane is necessary for the cell. Thus, if there were no membrane biogenesis, there would be no cell membrane; no cell and no life. Without it, the cell will die as it acts as a protective layer for the cell.

ER or endoplasmic reticulum helps in membrane biogenesis by helping in the formation of lipids, proteins and steroids which are important for it.

Membranes synthesized by this process of membrane biogenesis help in dividing the cell into structural and functional compartments or organelles. Membranes of the cell altogether are called as endo-membrane system. The endo-membrane system includes different membranes suspended in the cytoplasm and the plasma membrane. The endo-membrane system is composed of a number of inter-related membrane sacs within the cytoplasm of the cell.

The endo-membrane system functions, in part, in

• protein synthesis,

• protein modification,

• protein sorting and

• Protein transport.

Proteins that are synthesized on the rough endoplasmic reticulum are those that will be secreted, found in lysosomes, found in peroxisomes, found in micro bodies or will become integral membrane proteins.

Proteins are transported from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus and from the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane in transport vesicles.