|
A vacuole () is a membrane-bound organelle which is present in all plant and fungal cells and some protist, animal〔Venes, Donald (2001). ''Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary (Twentieth Edition)'', (F.A. Davis Company, Philadelphia), p. 2287 ISBN 0-9762548-3-2.〕 and bacterial cells. Vacuoles are essentially enclosed compartments which are filled with water containing inorganic and organic molecules including enzymes in solution, though in certain cases they may contain solids which have been engulfed. Vacuoles are formed by the fusion of multiple membrane vesicles and are effectively just larger forms of these.〔Brooker, Robert J, et al. (2007). ''Biology (First Edition)'', (McGraw-Hill, New York), p. 79 ISBN 0-07-326807-0.〕 The organelle has no basic shape or size; its structure varies according to the needs of the cell. The function and significance of vacuoles varies greatly according to the type of cell in which they are present, having much greater prominence in the cells of plants, fungi and certain protists than those of animals and bacteria. In general, the functions of the vacuole include: *Isolating materials that might be harmful or a threat to the cell *Containing waste products *Containing water in plant cells *Maintaining internal hydrostatic pressure or turgor within the cell *Maintaining an acidic internal pH *Containing small molecules *Exporting unwanted substances from the cell *Allows plants to support structures such as leaves and flowers due to the pressure of the central vacuole *In seeds, stored proteins needed for germination are kept in 'protein bodies', which are modified vacuoles.〔Matile, Phillipe (1993) '' Chapter 18: Vacuoles, discovery of lysosomal origin'' in ''Discoveries in Plant Biology: v. 1'' (World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd)〕 Vacuoles also play a major role in autophagy, maintaining a balance between biogenesis (production) and degradation (or turnover), of many substances and cell structures in certain organisms. They also aid in the lysis and recycling of misfolded proteins that have begun to build up within the cell. Thomas Boller 〔(Thomas Boller ). Plantbiology.unibas.ch. Retrieved on 2011-09-02.〕 and others proposed that the vacuole participates in the destruction of invading bacteria and Robert B Mellor proposed organ-specific forms have a role in 'housing' symbiotic bacteria. In protists, vacuoles have the additional function of storing food which has been absorbed by the organism and assisting in the digestive and waste management process for the cell. The vacuole probably evolved several times independently, even within the Viridiplantae. ==Bacteria== Large vacuoles are found in three genera of filamentous sulfur bacteria, the ''Thioploca'', ''Beggiatoa'' and ''Thiomargarita''. The cytosol is extremely reduced in these genera and the vacuole can occupy between 40–98% of the cell. The vacuole contains high concentrations of nitrate ions and is therefore thought to be a storage organelle.〔 Gas vacuoles, which are freely permeable to gas, are present in some species of Cyanobacteria. They allow the bacteria to control their buoyancy. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vacuole」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|