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A vacuole (/ ˈ v æ k juː oʊ l /) is a membrane-bound organelle which is present in plant and fungal cells and some protist, animal, and bacterial cells. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Vacuoles are essentially enclosed compartments which are filled with water containing inorganic and organic molecules including enzymes in solution , though in certain cases ...
The contractile vacuole is predominant in species that do not have a cell wall, but there are exceptions (notably Chlamydomonas) which do possess a cell wall. Through evolution , the contractile vacuole has typically been lost in multicellular organisms, but it still exists in the unicellular stage of several multicellular fungi , as well as in ...
Plant cells have a large central vacuole in the center of the cell that is used for osmotic control and nutrient storage. Contractile vacuoles are found in certain protists, especially those in Phylum Ciliophora. These vacuoles take water from the cytoplasm and excrete it from the cell to avoid bursting due to osmotic pressure.
Pigments that color the cell are sometime located in the cell sap. Vacuoles can also increase the size of the cell, which elongates as water is added, and they control the turgor pressure (the osmotic pressure that keeps the cell wall from caving in). Like lysosomes of animal cells, vacuoles have an acidic pH and contain hydrolytic enzymes.
By scientific convention, the term lysosome is applied to these vesicular organelles only in animals, and the term vacuole is applied to those in plants, fungi and algae (some animal cells also have vacuoles). Discoveries in plant cells since the 1970s started to challenge this definition. Plant vacuoles are found to be much more diverse in ...
Some cells, most notably Amoeba, have contractile vacuoles, which can pump water out of the cell if there is too much water. The vacuoles of plant cells and fungal cells are usually larger than those of animal cells. Vacuoles of plant cells are surrounded by a membrane which transports ions against concentration gradients.
Gas vesicles, also known as gas vacuoles, are nanocompartments in certain prokaryotic organisms, which help in buoyancy. [1] Gas vesicles are composed entirely of protein ; no lipids or carbohydrates have been detected.
In dermatopathology "vacuolization" often refers specifically to vacuoles in the basal cell-basement membrane zone area, where it is an unspecific sign of disease. [1] It may be a sign of for example vacuolar interface dermatitis , which in turn has many causes.