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lysosome
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
Formation of lysosomes 3D illustration of cellular autophagy showing a lysosome fusing with an autophagosome filled with various microbes and molecules, against a black background.
The video thumbnail image shows an illustration of an animal cell next to a photo of a whale swimming in the oean.
How Are Plant Cells Different from Animal Cells?
Cutaway illustration of a eukaryotic animal cell showing labeled internal structures, including the nucleus, nucleolus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and other organelles. Detailed diagram showing the transport of lipoproteins in the human body, illustrating how dietary fats and cholesterol are absorbed in the small intestine, packaged into chylomicrons, and transported through lymphatic vessels and the bloodstream. The diagram traces the conversion of chylomicrons to VLDL, IDL, LDL, and HDL particles, highlighting their roles in fat and cholesterol delivery, storage, and recycling, with labeled pathways to the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue, and includes cellu Side-by-side labeled diagrams of a typical animal cell and a plant cell, showing internal structures such as nucleus, mitochondrion, endoplasmic reticulum, and unique features like chloroplasts and cell wall in the plant cell. Diagram showing receptor-mediated endocytosis in a cell: a ligand binds to a receptor on the cell membrane, forming a coated pit that becomes a coated vesicle. The vesicle fuses with an endosome, where receptors are recycled and the contents are degraded in a lysosome.
What happens to your body after you die?
Quizzes
Mechanism of cellular autophagy, illustration for Nobel Prize Award in Medicine 2016. 3D illustration showing fusion of lysosome with autophagosome containing microbes and molecules.
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lysosome: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

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  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Invalidated site: Florida State University - Molecular Expressions - Lysosomes. Oct 12, 2026
Add new Web site: Florida State University - Molecular Expressions - Lysosomes. May 07, 2026
Add new Web site: Cell Press - Current Biology - Lysosomes. Jan 22, 2025
Add new Web site: BMC - Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters - Lysosome quality control in health and neurodegenerative diseases. Dec 05, 2024
Media added. Aug 23, 2024
Media added. Feb 28, 2024
Add new Web site: Khan Academy - Lysosomes and vacuoles. Feb 09, 2024
Add new Web site: University of Washington Pressbooks - Proteasome, Lysosome Function. Jan 11, 2024
Add new Web site: Academia - Lysosomes: fusion and function. Dec 01, 2023
Add new Web site: TeachMePhysiology - Lysosomes. Oct 17, 2023
Add new Web site: Frontiers - Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology - Lysosomes’ fallback strategies: more than just survival or death. Jul 25, 2023
Add new Web site: Biology LibreTexts - Lysosomes and Peroxisomes. Feb 11, 2023
Add new Web site: Cell Death and Disease - Autophagy: Regulator of cell death. Dec 30, 2022
Add new Web site: British Society for Cell Biology - Lysosome. Sep 20, 2022
Corrected display issue. Sep 12, 2019
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Mechanisms and functions of lysosome positioning. Sep 16, 2018
Media added. Feb 15, 2018
Clarified opening sentence to note that lysosomes are found in nearly all types of eukaryotic cells. Also added mention of the 1974 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, awarded in part to De Duve for his discovery of lysosomes. Aug 19, 2015
Add new Web site: Rader's Biology4Kids - Lysosome. Aug 25, 2010
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Lysosomes Function. Aug 25, 2010
Add new Web site: ISCID Encyclopedia of Science and Philosophy - Lysosome. Aug 25, 2010
Media added. May 11, 2007
Article revised. Jan 11, 1999
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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