LYSOSOMES

SUMMARY

1. The interior of lysosomes is more acidic than the rest of the cytoplasm and may contain endocytosed bacteria and worn-out cell components.

2. The interior is kept acidic by H-ATPase.

3. They contain acid hydrolases which function best in an acidic environment.

4. This is a safety feature of the cell: if the lysosomes were to break and release the contents, the enzymes would not destroy the cell.

Reference(s)

Barrett, K.E., Barman, S.M., Boitano, S., Brooks, H.L., Weitz, M., Brian Patrick Kearns, Ganong, W.F. and Mcgraw-Hill Education (Firm (2016). Ganong’s review of medical physiology. 25th ed. New York: Mcgraw Hill Education.
Hall, J.E. and Hall, M.E. (2020). Guyton And Hall Textbook Of Medical Physiology. 14th ed. S.L.: Elsevier - Health Science.
West, J.B. and Luks, A.M. (2021). West’s Pulmonary Pathophysiology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.