What does the endoplasmic reticulum do in an animal cell?

Rough ER is found throughout the cell but the density is higher near the nucleus and the Golgi apparatus. Ribosomes on the rough endoplasmic reticulum are called 'membrane bound' and are responsible for the assembly of many proteins. read more

CELLS NEED THE ROUGH AND THE SMOOTH. Think of a cell as a “multitude of membranes” we said in an earlier section. This statement certainly applies to the endoplasmic reticulum an organelle found in eukaryotic cells. About 50% of the total membrane surface in an animal cell is provided by endoplasmic reticulum (ER). read more

The endoplasmic reticulum serves many general functions, including the facilitation of protein folding and the transport of synthesized proteins in sacs called cisternae. read more

The smooth endoplasmic reticulum, or smooth ER, performs functions in several metabolic processes, including synthesis of steroids, lipids and phospholipids, as well as the metabolism of carbohydrates, elimination of drugs from the system and attachment of receptors to cell membrane proteins. read more