Answer
The cytosol gives the cell body and shape but its most important function is in providing e site for the chemical reactions requisite for the cell's existence. Glycolysis which produces ATP is probably he most important of these but the following are also essential for proper cell functioning. Reactions that produce structural elements eg. microfilaments and microtubule supply structures that anchor the cell and form extensions like cilia and flagella. These elements provide strenghth and stability for the cell structure and are also important in cell division. The transport functions of the cytosol are vital . It is the medium through which substances are moved in and out of the cell and between organelles or compartments of the cell. The cytosol also functions in the transport of metabolites by carriers and by vesicles ; it facilitates cytokinesis in mitosis and meiosis, and it plays an important role in the biochemical transduction of signals. Both signal transduction, and secondary active transport are dependent on the electrochemical gradients of certain ions maintained in the cytosol.
Work Step by Step
The cytosol is basically a solution of several important solutes. It gives the cell body and shape and provides the medium for the suspension of several types of particles and granules. It is the site of the most important metabolic reactions of the cell and functions in the transport of nutrients and the movement of waste substances. The substrate-level production of ATP through glycolysis may be the most vital reaction in the cytosol, but protein synthesis reactions are also essential for cell functioning.
Some important proteins synthesized in the cytosol are DNA-polymerase, RNA-polymerase, gene regulating protein and histones. Wastes exported from cytosol include carbon dioxide, nitrites, sulfides, methane and lactic acid. The pH of the cytosol must be kept at 7.0-7.4, so the transport of ions in and out of the cytosol is important; so is the movement of other substances in and out of the cell and between organelles and compartments of the cytoplasm.
