Smooth+ER

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum Endoplasmic Reticulum :

The endoplasmic reticulum is located throughout the cell. It is split into two sections the Smooth ER (Endoplasmic Reticulum) and the Rough ER. They are distinguished by different physical features and functions. The endoplasmic reticulum was discovered in 1945 by scientists, Keith R. Porter, Albert Claude, Brody Meskers, and Ernest F. Fullam when observing chicken fibroblasts through an electron microscope.

The endoplasmic reticulum is an organelle that's formed into a continuous membrane system that interconnects flattened enclosed sacs or tube-like structures baned cisternae. It is found in Eukaryotic cells and can be found in both plants and animals. Inside the cells, the ER is most densely located near the nucleus and Golgi Apparatus.

The endoplasmic reticulum has a few different general functions. The main function, however, is the folding and transporting of proteins to the Golgi Apparatus. Proteins moving in the other direction are packed into transport vesicles then exported out of the cell. The interior of the Endoplasmic Reticulum is called the lumen.

Smooth ER :

The Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum is also known as the SER. It's called the smooth ER because unlike the Rough ER the surface is clear and does not have Ribosomes protruding from it. The SER is actually quite scarce in the majority of cells, instead, there are areas where the surface is partly smooth and partly rough. The smooth ER has different functions from those in the Rough ER. It can synthesize lipids, phospholipids, and steroids. It can also produce hormones. The smooth ER carries out the metabolism of carbohydrates, and detoxify alcohol and drugs.  Analogy:

Protein: Transport Vessels  Protein is folded into transport vessels to move Humans: Cars

Works Cited:

https://www.britannica.com/science/endoplasmic-reticulum#ref90895

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endoplasmic_reticulum#Smooth_endoplasmic_reticulum

http://www.softschools.com/science/biology/the_function_of_endoplasmic_reticulum/