what is the deal with this reproductive mcat question?

[mrh125]

On the basis of their function as "nurse" cells, which of the following organelles are most likely to be prominent in sertoli cells?
A. golgi apparatus
B. lysosomes
C. mitochondria
D. cilia

Apparently it's golgi. Whaaaaat? I would have thought mitochondria because nursing cells fits with the whole "providing energy/powerhouse of the cell" concept. Cilia isn't a good answer and neither is lysosome. I had a 50:50 chance, but I got it wrong and conceptually it makes my head hurt. Why is it golgi? The golgi apparatus just packages, ships and adds stuffs like carbs to proteins I dont get it.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mcloaf]

On the basis of their function as "nurse" cells, which of the following organelles are most likely to be prominent in sertoli cells?
A. golgi apparatus
B. lysosomes
C. mitochondria
D. cilia

Apparently it's golgi. Whaaaaat? I would have thought mitochondria because nursing cells fits with the whole "providing energy/powerhouse of the cell" concept. Cilia isn't a good answer and neither is lysosome. I had a 50:50 chance, but I got it wrong and conceptually it makes my head hurt. Why is it golgi? The golgi apparatus just packages, ships and adds stuffs like carbs to proteins I dont get it.

You answered the question yourself, the golgi processes molecules (polypeptides) to be secreted from the cell. As a nursing cell, if you're going to be secreting anything odds are you'll be sending it through the vesicular trafficking system aka the golgi. In the case of developing cells, making sure they receive the appropriate hormones/developmental signals at the right time is critical, so we need plenty of active golgi around.

Also consider that ATP is our main source of INTRAcellular energy. When we're moving energy between cells it's generally in the more stable form of carbohydrates.