Skip to main content
Biology LibreTexts

7.4C: Lysosomes, Peroxisomes, Vacuoles, and Vesicles

  • Page ID
    3216
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Describe the structure and state the funtion of the following:
    1. lysosomes
    2. peroxisomes
    3. proteasomes
    4. vacuoles
    alt
    Figure \(\PageIndex{32}\)A) are often used to store materials used for energy production such as starch, fat, or glycogen. Plant cells often contain large vacuoles filled with water. Vacuoles and vesicles also transport materials within the cell and form around particles that enter by endocytosis (def).

    Summary

    1. Lysosomes, synthesized by the endoplasmic reticulum and the the Golgi complex, are membrane-enclosed spheres typically about 500 nanometers in diameter that contain powerful digestive enzymes that function to digest materials that enter by endocytosis.
    2. Peroxisomes are membrane-bound organelles containing an assortment of enzymes that catalyze a variety of metabolic reactions.
    3. Proteasomes are cylindrical complexes that use ATP to digest proteins into peptides and play a critical role in enabling the body to kill infected cells and cancer cells during adaptive immunity.
    4. Vacuoles are large membranous sacs; vesicles are smaller. Vacuoles are often used to store materials used for energy production such as starch, fat, or glycogen. Vacuoles and vesicles also transport materials within the cell and form around particles that enter by endocytosis.

    Questions

    Study the material in this section and then write out the answers to these questions. Do not just click on the answers and write them out. This will not test your understanding of this tutorial.

    1. _____ Membrane-enclosed spheres that contain powerful digestive enzymes to digest materials that enter by endocytosis. (ans)

      _____ Membrane-bound organelles containing an assortment of enzymes that catalyze a variety of metabolic reactions. (ans)

      1. lysosomes
      2. peroxisomes
      3. proteasomes
      4. vacuoles
      5. vesicles

    This page titled 7.4C: Lysosomes, Peroxisomes, Vacuoles, and Vesicles is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Gary Kaiser via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.

    • Was this article helpful?