What is a lysosome?
Not only when studying or learning a medical profession are you confronted with many technical terms from biology. The cell is already examined more closely in the classroom at grammar school. One of the cell building blocks is the so-called lysosome.
A detailed look at the lysosome
- The preoccupation with lysosomes falls into the branch of cytology (Cell biology), because these are cell components.
- More precisely one finds them in the so-called eucytes; so in the animal cells.
- A lysosome floats freely in the cytoplasm (cell plasma), but has its own membrane. This simple membrane gives it the shape of a bubble.
- There are various enzymes in this bladder. These are digestive enzymes that are important for the metabolism (metabolism) of the cell.
- These enzymes are produced by another organelle (this is what cell components are called): the endoplasmic reticulum.
- Such a reticulum forms a kind of network within the cytoplasm. This creates cavities that are connected to one another to form a canal system.
- This system then also enables the enzymes formed to be transported through the cell.
- This is necessary so that all of these enzymes end up in the so-called Golgi apparatus. This organelle in turn has the task of correctly “packaging” the incoming enzymes. A membrane is formed around the enzyme, creating a lysosome.
Animal cells - structure and functions
Animal cells are very similar in structure and functions to human ...
What is its function?
- Every lysosome has an acidic pH. With the slightly varying enzymes inside, it is possible for the lysosomes to help shape the cell's metabolism.
- This includes, for example, the task of breaking down old cell components in a healthy and safe way.
- The same content, to put it in a somewhat more complex way: a lysosome can break down existing biopolymers in such a way that they become a monomer.
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