Cell communication (biology)
In cells, DNA is housed in the nucleus and it never leaves. The DNA within the nucleus is transcribed by tRNA, and the transcriptions of the DNA become RNA. The RNA (ribonucleic acid) leaves the nucleus to float freely around the cytoplasm, and it contains the instructions of the DNA that are vital to the coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. The ribosomes then take the RNA messages and turn them into proteins that build cells. When a virus enters a cell and inserts its DNA code into the nucleus, it gets transcribed and released into the cell for the ribosome to make it into a protein. This is how viral infections occur. The cell then explodes with the overproduction of the virus, releasing it into the body to infect any and all other cells it finds. It is theorized that through evolution, cells developed a defense system called RNAi (RNA interference) to stop the production of the proteins that have suspicious mirror image messages of the RNA. They don’t just destroy the suspicious messages, but the correct messages as well to stop all production of that message. This is a cell’s self-destruct mechanism and every cell, plant and animal, have RNAi: a way to turn off the production of a certain gene inside the protein.
Endoplasm
The term granule refers to a small particle within the endoplasm, typically the secretory vesicles. The granule is the defining characteristic of the endoplasm, as they are typically not present within the ectoplasm. These offshoots of the endomembrane system are enclosed by a phospholipid bilayer and can fuse with other organelles as well as the plasma membrane. Their membrane is only semipermeable and allows them to house substances that could be harmful to the cell if they were allowed to flow freely within the cytosol. These granules give the cell a large amount of regulation and control over the wide variety of metabolic activities that take place within the endoplasm. There are many different types, characterized by the substance that the vesicle contains. These granules/vesicles can contain enzymes, neurotransmitters, hormones, and waste. Typically the contents are destined for another cell/tissue. These vesicles act as a form of storage and release their contents when needed, often prompted by a signaling pathway. Once signaled to move, the vesicles can travel along aspects of the cytoskeleton via motor proteins to reach their final destination.