rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), series of connected flattened sacs, part of a continuous membrane organelle within the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, that plays a central role in the synthesis of proteins.

What is the function of the rough endoplasmic reticulum?

The endoplasmic reticulum can either be smooth or rough, and in general its function is to produce proteins for the rest of the cell to function. The rough endoplasmic reticulum has on it ribosomes, which are small, round organelles whose function it is to make those proteins.

Where is the rough endoplasmic reticulum?

Rough ER lies immediately adjacent to the cell nucleus, and its membrane is continuous with the outer membrane of the nuclear envelope. The ribosomes on rough ER specialize in the synthesis of proteins that possess a signal sequence that directs them specifically to the ER for processing.