Lysosomes

Lysosomes
VM
Membrane bound, active under acidic conditions
A reservoir of hydrolytic enzymes active under

acidic conditions
ATP-driven proton pump is responsible for

maintaining the acidic pH of 5 in the lumen
Help in digestion of biological material & process

of apoptosis.
History
de Duve described Lysosomes as perinuclear dense
bodies in 1955.
Reid & Leech (1980) re-named these bodies as
Lysosomes when the organelle was lysed & the
Enzymes were studied.
Two groups of scientists discovered it:-
1.De Duve through biochemical studies
2.Novikoff through cytochemical & morphological
approaches
De Duve shared the Nobel prize in 1974 for his
studies
Occurrence
Most animal & few plant cells

Absent in bacteria & mature erythrocytes
Lecucocytes are rich sources of lysosomes.
Their lysosomes are large enough to be visible even
through the light microscope.
Lysosomes are numerous in absorption, secretory &

excretory organs (intestine, liver, kidney etc.)
Structure:-
Round vacuolar strucuture, filled with dense
material & surrounded by unit membrane
Shape & density vary greatly
0.2 to 0.5 µm in size, though they are polymorphic

Isolation & chemical composition
Are very delicate & fragile organelles

Lysosomal fractions
Isolated by sucrose-density gradient
Centrifugation after mild homogenisation
Triton or dextran are injected into the cells

to get incorporated into lysosomes for
increasing their density
Histochemical & cytochemical techniques aid in
Location of lysosomes in the cell.
Drug chloroquine loads in the lysosome
The property of metachromasia is associated with
Lysosomes in which the stains with toluidine blue
gives positive acid Schiff’s reaction with lysosomes
The stains falling in the above category are the

basic stains
Gamori’s staining technique is used to stain the
Acid phosphatase in lysosomes.
Lysosomal Enzymes:-
Alberts et al., 1989:- 40 different types of enzymes
Which include:- proteases (cathepsin for protein
digestion), nucleases, glycosidases, lipases,
Phosphatases, sulphatases etc.
Lysosomal enzymes show LATENCY in action, which is
Because of the membrane which does not allow
Active centres of the enzymes to gain acess to their
susceptible groups.
Lysosomal membrane:-
Slightly thicker than the mitochondrial membrane,
Contains Sialic acid, Proteins are highly glycosylated,
Which protect them from lysosomal proteases in the
Lumen.
Fusing property with other membranes of the cell is
attributed to the high proportion of membrane lipids
Liposoluble vitamins have a rupturing effects on the

Membrane of lysosome
There are some transport proteins also available on

Lysosomal membrane
Kinds of Lysosomes;-
1.Primary lysosomes:-
Also called as protolysosome, storage granules
or virgin lysosomes; diameter is 100 nm;
A single type of enzyme is available in these
Lysosomes
2. Heterophagosomes:-
Also known as heterophagic vacuoles, hetero-
Lysosome,
2. Heterophagosomes:- A type of sec. lysosome.
Fusion product of primary lysosome and

phagosomes (with extracellular substances) is
termed secondary lysosomes.They are of two
types-
A. Hetero Phagosomes, which are secondary
lysosomes formed by endocytosed phagosomes
and primary lysosomes.
Lysogenic digestion of endocytosed material is

termed heterophagy.
B. Auto phagosomes are formed by fusion
of cellular particles and primary lysosomes.
The process of digestion of portion of a cell's

own cytoplasmic constituents by its lysosomes is
termed autophagy.
Primary lysosomes digest intracellular structures,

such as Mitochondria, ribosomes, peroxisomes,
etc.
Autophagy is a normal event during repair &

growth.
3. Residual bodies:-
Hetero Phagosomes and auto phagosomes

after digestion and absorption are left with
only residues and denatured enzymes within
the vacuole ,which are termed residual bodies.
They are large, granular and dense bodies with

electron dense properties.
They are responsible for aging in higher animals

And eukaryotes. However, in prokaryotes, they
Are eliminated through defecation process.
Origin or biogenesis of lysosome:-
Requires specialized lysosomal hydrolases

and membrane proteins.
Both the above are synthesized in the ER &

Transported through Golgi apparatus.
The transport pathway through Golgi network

is as follows:-
Intermediate compartment
Trans-Golgi (endolysosome) by transport
vesicles, coated with Clathrin
Brief processing of the enzyme in the Golgi network
(cis-region):-
Lysosomal enzymes are glycoproteins, containing

N-linked oligosaccharides whose mannose residues
(mannose 6 phosphate[M6P]) are phosphorylated.
The M6P are recognized by their receptors on the

membrane of trans-Golgi network .
Upon recognition, the trans-Golgi network segregates

hydrolases and packages them into clathrin coated
vesicles, which later on loose their coats.
M6P receptor containing vesicles act as SHUTTLES between the
trans-Golgi network & endolysosomes.
Functions of Lysosomes:-
1.Digestion of large extracellular particles:

Food contents in phagosomes or pinosomes are
Digested by lysosomes
2. Digestion of intracellular substances:
During starvation, lysosomes digest the reserve food
material for supplying to the cell necessary amt. of
energy.
3. Autolysis:
Pathological conditions prompt lysosomes to digest
cell organelles for re-utilization & re-construction, e.g.,
metamorphosed structures are subjected to such a
process.
4. Extracellular digestion:-
The lysosomes of sperm cells discharge the hydrolytic
enzymes outside to the cells during fertilization with
ovum, leading to dissolution of the membrane of the
ovum and penetration of the same.
Acid hydrolases are released from Osteoclasts and

Break down bone for resorption. The pH for action
Of hydrolases are maintained by the release of
Lactic acid from osteoclasts.
Lysosomes in Plants:-
Vacuoles containing digestive enzymes in

Plants are of following types a/c to Matile (1975):
1.Vacuoles proper:- Developing from ER and
Golgi, are termed as provacuoles, contain
acid hydrolases.
These vacuoles are responsible for autophagy
of mitochondria and chloroplasts.
2. Sperosomes:- membrane-bound, sperical
particles of size 0.5 to 2.5 µm in diameter,
Occurring in most plant cells.
They are rich in lipids & proteins
They originate from ER by accumulation of

oil at the end of one of ER strands, which is
then pinched off and called prospherosomes.
The prospherosomes mature into spherosomes.
3. Aleurone grains:- Store globulin proteins &

Phosphates required for growth of the embryo.
Hydrolytic enzymes in aleurone digest the proteins
And phosphatases digest the conjugated PO4

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Lysosomes

A reservoir of hydrolytic enzymes active under

ATP-driven proton pump is responsible for

Help in digestion of biological material & process

Most animal & few plant cells

Lysosomes are numerous in absorption, secretory &

Shape & density vary greatly

0.2 to 0.5 µm in size, though they are polymorphic

Are very delicate & fragile organelles

Triton or dextran are injected into the cells

The stains falling in the above category are the

Liposoluble vitamins have a rupturing effects on the

There are some transport proteins also available on

Fusion product of primary lysosome and

Lysogenic digestion of endocytosed material is

The process of digestion of portion of a cell's

Primary lysosomes digest intracellular structures,

Autophagy is a normal event during repair &

Hetero Phagosomes and auto phagosomes

They are large, granular and dense bodies with

They are responsible for aging in higher animals

Requires specialized lysosomal hydrolases

Both the above are synthesized in the ER &

The transport pathway through Golgi network

Lysosomal enzymes are glycoproteins, containing

The M6P are recognized by their receptors on the

Upon recognition, the trans-Golgi network segregates

1.Digestion of large extracellular particles:

Acid hydrolases are released from Osteoclasts and

Vacuoles containing digestive enzymes in

They originate from ER by accumulation of

The prospherosomes mature into spherosomes.

3. Aleurone grains:- Store globulin proteins &

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