MadSci Network: Botany
Query:

Re: What are the names of some plants that have cells containing lysosomes?

Date: Fri Jan 2 21:13:10 2004
Posted By: David Hershey, Faculty, Botany, NA
Area of science: Botany
ID: 1073009172.Bt
Message:

This is a question that is rather controversial because recent research has 
been changing old concepts and creating new terminology.

According to the British Society for Cell Biology, lysosomes are 
characteristic of all animal and plant cells. 

However, most botanists do not apply the term lysosome to plant cells. Authors 
of a 1998 research study on barley seeds found two types of vacuoles, "a 
protein storage vacuole and a lysosome-like organelle, which we have called 
the secondary vacuole." Another article in the Plant Cell journal refered to 
a "lytic vacuole" in a plant cell as equivalent to the lysosome of an animal 
cell. The term, "lytic vacuole" is being widely applied to plant cells.

My best answer to your question would be the following:

No plant cells contain lysosomes because most biologists consider the lysosome 
to be an organelle found only in animal cells. However, all plant species are 
believed to contain some lytic vacuoles, which contain hydrolytic enzymes as 
do lysosomes. However, lytic vacuoles differ from lysosomes in method of 
origin, shape, function and enzyme content. The large central vacuole of a 
mature plant cell arises by merging of lytic vacuoles and protein storage 
vacuoles.

References


Lysosomes by British Society for Cell Biology


Cell Structure - Lysosomes


Barley Aleurone Cells Contain Two Types of Vacuoles: Characterization of Lytic 
Organelles by Use of Fluorescent Probes 


Vacuolar Protein Trafficking and Vesicles: Continuing to Sort It All Out


lytic vacuole definition


Pathways of protein transport to the plant vacuole


Current Queue | Current Queue for Botany | Botany archives

Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Botany.



MadSci Home | Information | Search | Random Knowledge Generator | MadSci Archives | Mad Library | MAD Labs | MAD FAQs | Ask a ? | Join Us! | Help Support MadSci


MadSci Network, webadmin@www.madsci.org
© 1995-2003. All rights reserved.