Biology: Concepts and Investigations 2nd Edition by Mariëlle Hoefnagels

Exercise 10

A liver cell has a volume of 5000 ?m3. Its total membrane area, including the inner membranes lining organelles as well as the cell membrane, is 110,000 ?m2. A cell in the pancreas that manufactures digestive enzymes has a volume of 1000 ?m3 and a total membrane area of 13,000 ?m2. Which cell is probably more efficient in carrying out activities that require extensive membrane surfaces? Why?