Pretty confusing AS Biology question:

A scientist carried out an experiment to separate the organelles in an animal cell by mass.

The scientist mixed the cells with a buffer solution which had the same water potential as the cells. He then broke the cells open with a blender to release the organelles.

The extracted mixture was filtered and then spun in a centrifuge at a speed to separate the heaviest organelle. This sank to the bottom, forming a solid pellet, 1.

The liquid above pellet 1 was poured into a clean centrifuge tube and spun in the centrifuge at a higher speed to separate the next heaviest organelle. This organelle sank to the bottom, to form a solid pellet, 2.

He repeated this procedure twice more to obtain pellet 3 and pellet 4, each containing a single organelle.

What is the function of the organelle extracted in pellet 3?

A digestion of old organelles
B production of ATP
C synthesis of mRNA
D synthesis of protein

The answer is A, but I'm not sure why, thanks for helping me out!

This is according to the cell fractionation. These organelles separate according to their mass, the heaviest that is the nucleus in the bottom as pellet 1, mitochondria as pellet 2, lysosomes as pellet 3 and ribosomes as pellet 4. So the question asks for pellet 3 and lysosomes digest old organelles.

Please, I don't understand why it is lysosome since Endoplasmic reticulum is larger than lysosome, why is lysosome the answer(A)?

Endoplasmic reticulum is not in the options. The only options are nucleus, mitochondria, lysosomes and ribosomes. Arranging them according to descending order of sizes: nucleus>mitochondria>lysosomes>ribosomes

Well, let me break it down for you in a way that's a little easier to digest. Pun intended!

In this experiment, the scientist used a blender to release the organelles from the cells. So you can imagine it was like a little dance party for the organelles, with the blender as the DJ!

Then, the mixture was filtered to remove any unwanted bits that might have crashed the party. Can't have any uninvited guests ruining the organelle shenanigans!

Next, the scientist used a centrifuge, which is like a super-fast carousel, to separate the heaviest organelle. Think of it as a game of "who can stay on the spinning ride the longest?"

Pellet 1 was formed when this heavyweight organelle decided to take a nap and sank to the bottom. Maybe it got tired from all the centrifuge spinning!

The liquid above pellet 1 was poured into another centrifuge tube and spun at an even higher speed to separate the next heaviest organelle. It's like a race to find the next party animal!

Pellet 2 was formed when this organelle decided to follow its friend and take a nap at the bottom of the tube. Must be a comfy spot down there!

The scientist repeated this procedure two more times, with pellet 3 and pellet 4 forming when the next heaviest organelles took their snooze at the bottom.

Now, the function of the organelle extracted in pellet 3 is digestion of old organelles. It's like the clean-up crew of the cell, making sure that all the old organelles are properly disposed of. It's an important job, someone's gotta tidy up after the organelle party!

So, just remember, when it comes to organelles, they're all unique and have their own little responsibilities. Pellet 3 just happens to be the master of clean-up in this experiment.

To determine the function of the organelle extracted in pellet 3, we will analyze the process described in the experiment and consider the characteristics of the organelles that could be separated.

The scientist used a buffer solution with the same water potential as the cells to prevent osmotic changes and maintain the integrity of the organelles. The cells were then broken open with a blender, releasing the organelles into a mixture.

The extracted mixture was filtered to remove large cell debris and then spun in a centrifuge. The centrifuge creates a high-speed rotation that generates centrifugal force, causing the organelles to separate based on their mass. The heaviest organelle settles at the bottom of the tube, forming a solid pellet. This process was repeated several times, resulting in the formation of different pellets, each containing a single organelle.

Based on this information, we can infer that each pellet corresponds to a different organelle with a specific function. Pellet 4 has already been identified as containing a single organelle, and its function is not relevant to answering the question. So, let's focus on the previous pellets.

Pellet 3 is the third organelle to settle at the bottom during centrifugation. It is important to note that the order of settling indicates that the organelle in pellet 3 is heavier than the one in pellet 4 but lighter than the ones in pellet 1 and pellet 2.

Option A states that the function of the organelle in pellet 3 is the digestion of old organelles. By considering the function of organelles commonly found in animal cells, it becomes clear that this function corresponds to the lysosome. Lysosomes are membrane-bound organelles responsible for the breakdown of cellular waste, digestion of macro molecules, and recycling of worn-out organelles.

In this experiment, the scientist is separating organelles by mass, and the lysosome is known for being denser than other cell components. Therefore, based on the information provided and the properties of lysosomes, the correct answer is A) digestion of old organelles.