Types of ribosomes
There are two forms of ribsomes:
- Free ribosomes, which are freely scattered in the cytoplasm
- Membrane-bound ribosomes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (=rER)
In contrast to the membrane-bound ribosomes of the rER, free ribosomes are scattered throughout the cytoplasm. The task of the free ribosomes is the production of soluble proteins, which serve the construction of the cell and are therefore not channelled out of the cell.
Size of ribosomes
Ribosomes usually have a size of about 20 nm. Ribosomes can also be distributed as groups in the cytosol and are then called polyribosomes, which can have different sizes.
