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plant cell
Plant cells contain membrane-bound organelles, including fluid-filled spaces, called vacuoles, that play an important role in maintaining the rigidity of a plant.
vacuole
biology
- Key People:
- Yoshinori Ohsumi
- Related Topics:
- cell
- contractile vacuole
- food vacuole
- phagosome
- gas vacuole
endocytosis and exocytosisEndocytosis and exocytosis are fundamental to the process of intracellular digestion. Food particles are taken into the cell via endocytosis into a vacuole. Lysosomes attach to the vacuole and release digestive enzymes to extract nutrients. The leftover waste products of digestion are carried to the plasma membrane by the vacuole and eliminated through the process of exocytosis.
vacuole, in biology, a space within a cell that is empty of cytoplasm, lined with a membrane, and filled with fluid. Especially in protozoa (single-celled eukaryotic organisms), vacuoles are essential cytoplasmic organs (organelles), performing functions such as storage, ingestion, digestion, excretion, and expulsion of excess water. The large central vacuoles often found in plant cells enable them to attain a large size without accumulating the bulk that would make metabolism difficult. Potent secondary metabolites, such as tannins or various biological pigments, are also sequestered in the vacuoles in plants, fungi, algae, and certain other organisms to protect the cell from self-toxicity.