Cell Component
lysosome
ly·so·some [ lahy-suh-sohm ]
Subclass of:
Cytoplasmic Vesicles
Definitions related to lysosomes:
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A class of morphologically heterogeneous cytoplasmic membrane-bound vesicle in animal and plant tissues characterized by their content of a wide variety of glycoprotein hydrolytic enzymes active at an acid pH and the structure-linked latency of these enzymes. The intracellular functions of lysosomes depend on their lytic potential. The single unit membrane of the lysosome acts as a barrier between the enzymes enclosed in the lysosome and the external substrate. The activity of the enzymes contained in lysosomes is limited or nil unless the vesicle in which they are enclosed is ruptured. Such rupture serves to digest exogenous material, such as bacteria, as well as effete organelles of the cells and is supposed to be under metabolic (hormonal) control.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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A sac-like compartment inside a cell that has enzymes that can break down cellular components that need to be destroyed.NCI Dictionary of Cancer TermsU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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A small lytic vacuole that has cell cycle-independent morphology and is found in most animal cells and that contains a variety of hydrolases, most of which have their maximal activities in the pH range 5-6. The contained enzymes display latency if properly isolated. About 40 different lysosomal hydrolases are known and lysosomes have a great variety of morphologies and functions.Gene Ontology DictionaryGene Ontology Consortium, 2021
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Morphologically heterogeneous cytoplasmic particles characterized by their content of hydrolytic enzymes and the structure-linked latency of these enzymes, normally involved in the process of localized intracellular digestion; the activity of the enzymes contained in lysosomes is limited or nil unless the vesicle in which they are enclosed is ruptured.CRISP ThesaurusNational Institutes of Health, 2006
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