What Is the Function of a Lysosome in an Animal Cell?
Quick Answer
A lysosome is an organelle in an animal cell that contains enzymes to break down outside materials that enter the cell, as well as obsolete cell material. The lysosome acts as the digestive system for the cell, consuming proteins, carbohydrates and lipids.
Continue ReadingFull Answer
In an animal cell, the lysosome acts as a basic digestive system, working to break down nutrients that enter the cell. The enzymes a lysosome contains can break down beneficial materials, bacteria and waste materials that enter the cell, allowing the body to obtain nutrients and remove unneeded materials. Without lysosomes, your body would be unable to digest food, fend off bacteria or remove dead materials from cells as they grow and are replaced.
Lysosomes are the organelles responsible for helping the body digest nutrients, but they also assist with fighting off disease, removing waste, and eliminating unneeded cell materials. The enzymes contained within the organelle are extremely strong and can kill the host if they are released, so in most animals, the body develops lysosomes to allow them to digest material in a controlled environment. If lysosomes are mutated or fail to develop, the body can develop serious illnesses that can be difficult to treat and manage successfully.
Learn more about CellsRelated Questions
-
Q:
What Is the Function of a Lysosome?
A: Lysosomes act as the garbage disposal or stomach of a cell, using enzymes to break down proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids and other wastes in the cell... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
How Is a Cell Like a Factory?
A: Cells function similarly to factories in that both take up raw materials and use energy to produce waste and finished products. In the case of the cell, th... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What Are the Different Parts of an Animal Cell?
A: An animal cell contains a nucleus, cytoplasm that contains the various organelles and a cell membrane, also called a plasma membrane. The nucleus is the la... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
How Is an Animal Cell Like a Car?
A: Although an animal cell has life and a car is lifeless, the two have some structural and functional similarities. Both a cell and a car move, are enclosed,... Full Answer >Filed Under:
