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What are the functions of vacuoles and lysosomes?

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Last updated date: 22nd Mar 2024
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MVSAT 2024
Answer
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Hint: Both the vacuoles and the lysosomes are the membrane-bound organelles that perform the specified functions. The first one is responsible for the maintenance of osmotic balance while the other in the process of digestion.

Complete answer
Vacuoles are the organelle in the cells that help in maintaining the quantity of water and regulate the osmotic balance in the cell surrounded by a membrane called the tonoplast. A lysosome, the cell organelle, is responsible for the breakdown of waste products of cells and is also known as the suicidal cell organelles of the cell.
The functions of vacuoles and lysosomes are as follows:
Vacuoles Lysosome
The main function of the vacuole is to maintain the osmotic or turgor pressure of the cell. They are responsible for the process of the intracellular digestion.
They help in maintaining the shape of the cells and thus maintaining the turgor pressure of the cells.The disintegration of the cell organelles is done by the lysosomes and the process is called autophagy.
The vacuoles store various pigments that result in the coloration of various petals of the plants. They engulf the cell of the molecules so that they do not interfere in the functioning of the other cell thus resulting in the process of “cell eating”.
They contain water, minerals, and other nutrients inside them along with the waste products.They play a very important role during the process of metamorphosis in various organisms.
The main function of vacuoles includes the process of osmoregulation, and degradation and may also store amino acids in the case of the yeast. They are helpful in the process of the synthesis of proteins.
Vacuoles contain many gases that help them to control buoyancy and are thus called the gas vacuoles.They are helpful in the process of fertilization as they secrete certain lysosomal enzymes that help the sperm to enter the layers of the egg cell.
In the case of the animal cells, vacuoles perform the transportation and are made up of lipids and the proteins. Their disintegration may result in the autolysis of the bones and cartilage.




Note:
Vacuoles are present in all plant and fungal cells where it is larger in size while it is smaller in size in the case of the animal cells. The vacuole is said to be the largest organelle of the cell. Lysosomes are generally very small, ranging in size from 0.1-0.5 µm, though they can reach up to 1.2 µm. They are made up of lipid bilayer which consists of hydrolytic enzymes.