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- They contain more than 50 different enzymes
- Lysosomes can break down almost anything, including parts of the body
- They are membrane-bound organelles, meaning they have a protective membrane around them
- They are considered the "counterpart" of the vacuoles that are found in plant cells
- The PH inside lysosomes are is somewhere between 4 and 5, which is perfect conditions for the enzymes inside them
- The lysosomes take H+ ions from the cytoplasm, to lower the PH

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Now, the lysosome is a specific type of organelle that's very acidic. So that means that it has to be protected from the rest of the inside of the cell. It's a compartment, then, that has a membrane around it that stores the digestive enzymes that require this acid, low-pH environment. Those enzymes are called hydrolytic enzymes, and they break down large molecules into small molecules. For example, large proteins into amino acids, or large carbohydrates into simple sugars, or large lipids into single fatty acids. And when they do that, they provide for the rest of the cell the nutrients that it needs to... So, for example, if you can't do that, it can't break down large molecules into small molecules. You'll have storage of those large molecules, and this is a disease. There's also another type of lysosome storage disease in which the small molecules that are produced from those large molecules can't get out of the lysosome. They're stored there because the transporters for moving these small molecules out are missing genetically. And finally, one other function of the lysosome is to ingest bacteria so that the bacteria can be destroyed. So the lysosomes also provide a function against infection, and the cell will often engorge a bacterium and put it into its lysosome for destruction. So here's an important organelle that has function against infection and function in a way in nutrition to break down large molecules into small molecules so that they can be reutilized.

William Gahl, M.D., Ph.D.

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Now, the lysosome is a specific type of organelle that's very acidic. So that means that it has to be protected from the rest of the inside of the cell. It's a compartment, then, that has a membrane around it that stores the digestive enzymes that require this acid, low-pH environment.

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You need lysosomes because your body wouldn’t be able to digest the food it needs without them.
The lysosomes in cells are used to break down necessary substances to the body into smaller, more digestible pieces.
For example, lysosomes break down larger proteins into amino acids.
In a process called autophagy, lysosomes use the hydrolytic enzymes that they carry to recycle a cell's own organic material, so cells have much longer lifespans.
Lysosomes can aid the cell in defending against intruders such as bacteria's or virus’.
They are a big part of apoptosis, or the self-destructing of a cell in a normal, safe, and controlled way.
If someone is missing or has impaired lysosomes, some substances such as lipids will build up too much and impact brain functionality.

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- A simple membrane
- Transport proteins
- Hydrolytic enzymes
- Proteins

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Why Lysosomes are Better Than Other Products

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Why Lysosomes are Better Than Other Products

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Lysosomes are the best because they contain an environment that is much different than the rest of the cell and the body. Dangerous is cool... duh. Without lysosomes in your life you wouldn't be able to break down those complicated macromolecules into more simple monomers that the body can handle.

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Be careful with the lysosomes, as they are rather fragile. If you were to rupture the lysosome, the acidic mixture inside has the potential to damage things that it comes in contact with. If enough of lysosomes are broken at a time, a cell may completely die due to the rapid change of environment. KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 8.

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Lysosomes are membrane-enclosed organelles that contain an array of enzymes capable of breaking down all types of biological polymers-proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. Lysosomes function as the digestive system of the cell, serving both to degrade material taken up from outside the cell and to digest obsolete components of the cell itself.

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lysosome, subcellular organelle that is found in nearly all types of eukaryotic cells (cells with a clearly defined nucleus) and that is responsible for the digestion of macromolecules, old cell parts, and microorganisms. Each lysosome is surrounded by a membrane that maintains an acidic environment within the interior via a proton pump. Lysosomes contain a wide variety of hydrolytic enzymes (acid hydrolases) that break down macromolecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, and polysaccharides. These enzymes are active only in the lysosome's acidic interior; their acid-dependent activity protects the cell from self-degradation in case of lysosomal leakage or rupture, since the pH of the cell is neutral to slightly alkaline. Lysosomes were discovered by the Belgian cytologist Christian René de Duve in the 1950s. (De Duve was awarded a share of the 1974 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of lysosomes and other organelles known as peroxisomes.)

Lysosomes originate by budding off from the membrane of the trans-Golgi network, a region of the Golgi complex responsible for sorting newly synthesized proteins, which may be designated for use in lysosomes, endosomes, or the plasma membrane. The lysosomes then fuse with membrane vesicles that derive from one of three pathways: endocytosis, autophagocytosis, and phagocytosis. In endocytosis, extracellular macromolecules are taken up into the cell to form membrane-bound vesicles called endosomes that fuse with lysosomes. Autophagocytosis is the process by which old organelles and malfunctioning cellular parts are removed from a cell; they are enveloped by internal membranes that then fuse with lysosomes. Phagocytosis is carried out by specialized cells (e.g., macrophages) that engulf large extracellular particles, such as dead cells or foreign invaders (e.g., bacteria), and target them for lysosomal degradation. Many of the products of lysosomal digestion, such as amino acids and nucleotides, are recycled back to the cell for use in the synthesis of new cellular components.

Lysosomal storage diseases are genetic disorders in which a genetic mutation affects the activity of one or more of the acid hydrolases. In such diseases, the normal metabolism of specific macromolecules is blocked and the macromolecules accumulate inside the lysosomes, causing severe physiological damage or deformity. Hurler syndrome, which involves a defect in the metabolism of mucopolysaccharides, is a lysosomal storage disease.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Kara Rogers.

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Lysosome | Description, Formation, & Function

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Lysosome, subcellular organelle that is found in nearly all types of eukaryotic cells and that is responsible for the digestion of macromolecules, old cell parts, and microorganisms. Each lysosome is surrounded by a membrane that maintains an acidic environment marked by the presence of hydrolytic enzymes.