Question

Ribosomes were first observed by
A) Claude
B) Palade
C) George
D) De Duve

Answer 1

Hint: Ribosomes are cell organelles that can either be found floating in the cytoplasm or attached to the surface of the endoplasmic reticulum. Ribosomes are essential organelles that partake in the process of translation of mRNA into proteins.

Complete answer:
Ribosomes are cell organelles responsible for the generation of proteins from the genetic content encoded in the nucleic acids. This process always takes place inside the cytoplasm of the cell. In eukaryotes, sometimes the protein generated is to be transported to other regions of the cell or outside the cell body, the ribosomes attached to the endoplasmic reticulum (cell organelle which forms a canal for the transport of molecules across the cell membrane) facilitate the process of translation.

Let us look at each option one by one.
>Albert Claude was a Belgian-American doctor and cell biologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 along with Christian de Duve and George Emil Palade for their discoveries regarding the structural and functional organization of the cell. He was the first person to employ electron microscopy in biology but not the first person to observe ribosomes. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

>George Emil Palade was a Romanian-American cell biologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 along with Christian de Duve and Albert Claude for their discoveries regarding the structural and functional organization of the cell. He was the first person to describe ribosomes and the endoplasmic reticulum in the year 1955. Therefore, this is the correct option.

>George Wells Beadle was an American geneticist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1958 along with Edward Tatum for their discovery of the role of genes in the regulation of biochemical events within cells. He was not the first person to observe ribosomes. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

>Christian de Duve was an English-born Belgian cytologist and biochemist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 along with Albert Claude and George Emil Palade for their discoveries regarding the structural and functional organization of the cell. He discovered two cell organelles, peroxisome and lysosome serendipitously. He was not the first person to observe ribosomes. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

Thus, the correct answer is option (B) Palade.

Note:Ribosome is not a single entity and is composed of two distinct parts, one small and one large. It also has some ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and ribosomal proteins that work in concert with each other and the ribosome to enable efficient translation of mRNAs into proteins.