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Diagram of a basic plant cell showing labeled structures including the cell wall, cell membrane, chloroplast, nucleus, chromosomes, cytoplasm, organelles, and fluid-filled space.
Plant cell Membrane-bound organelles, including fluid-filled spaces, called vacuoles, are components of plant cells that play an important role in maintaining the rigidity of a plant.

vacuole

biology
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Top Questions

What is a vacuole in biology?

What role does the vacuole play in plant cells?

What functions do vacuoles perform in protists?

Are vacuoles present in animal cells?

vacuole, in biology, membrane-bound compartment within a cell, enclosed by a specialized membrane and filled with fluid. Vacuoles are especially prominent in eukaryotic cells and serve essential functions such as storage, ingestion, digestion, excretion, and expulsion of excess water.

In plant cells, the vacuole often occupies a large portion of the cell as a central vacuole, which plays a critical role in maintaining turgor pressure—the internal pressure that supports the cell and helps plants maintain structure. By regulating the movement of water through osmosis, the vacuole contributes directly to plant rigidity and growth. It also stores ions, nutrients, pigments, and waste products, including potentially toxic compounds such as secondary metabolites, which are isolated within the vacuole to prevent damage to the rest of the cell.

Endocytosis and exocytosis
Endocytosis and exocytosisThe process of intracellular digestion involves endocytosis and exocytosis. Food particles are taken into the cell via endocytosis into a vacuole. Lysosomes attach to the vacuole and release digestive enzymes to extract nutrients. The leftover waste products of digestion are carried to the plasma membrane by the vacuole and eliminated through the process of exocytosis.

In protists, vacuoles perform specialized functions. For example, food vacuoles are involved in ingestion and digestion, while contractile vacuoles help maintain osmotic balance by expelling excess water, an important adaptation for organisms living in freshwater environments. The vacuole’s membrane contains transport proteins that regulate the movement of substances in and out of the cell. Through these processes, vacuoles help maintain cellular homeostasis.

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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Vacuoles are also present in fungi and some animal cells, although they are typically smaller and less central than in plants. In animal cells, such as human cells, they also often are temporary, providing transient storage for materials that need to be moved, degraded, or isolated.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers.