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vesicle
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Diagram illustrating exocytosis in cell biology, showing how secretory vesicles from the Golgi apparatus fuse with the cell membrane to release proteins, with pathways for both regulated and unregulated secretion labeled. 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.
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vesicle

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Diagram illustrating exocytosis in cell biology, showing how secretory vesicles from the Golgi apparatus fuse with the cell membrane to release proteins, with pathways for both regulated and unregulated secretion labeled.
Soluble and secretory proteins leaving the Golgi apparatus undergo exocytosis The secretion of soluble proteins occurs constitutively. In contrast, the exocytosis of secretory proteins is a highly regulated process, in which a ligand must bind to a receptor to trigger vesicle fusion and protein secretion.

A vesicle is a small, fluid-filled sac within a plant or animal. In biology, vesicles are membrane-bound compartments within eukaryotic cells that play crucial roles in storage, transport, and waste removal. They are formed from internal cell membranes, such as the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, and are essential for cellular functions.123

In animal cells, secretory vesicles are involved in releasing molecules like neurotransmitters outside the cell through a process called exocytosis. The cell membrane can also engulf external material to form vesicles through endocytosis, bringing substances into the cell. While prominent in plant cells as a central vacuole that maintains turgor pressure, vacuoles also exist in fungi and animal cells, though typically smaller and temporary.342

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7 Britannica Sources
  1. vesicle
  2. vesicula
  3. vesicul-
  4. cell - Secretory vesicles
  5. vesicular
  6. cell - Endocytosis
  7. vacuole

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