Question

Most of the hydrolytic enzymes of lysosomes function at
(a) Acidic pH
(b) Basic pH
(c) Neutral
(d) None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Lysosome's pH is around pH 5 since their hydrolytic enzymes act better at this pH rather than at the rest of the cell's neutral pH. Via hydrolysis, hydrolytic enzymes explicitly break down large molecules. A molecule of water is added to a product during the hydrolysis process, causing it to cleave.

Complete answer:
- Lysosomes are specialized vesicles inside cells that, by the use of hydrolytic enzymes, digest large molecules at acidic pH.
- Vesicles are tiny fluid spheres surrounded by a lipid bilayer membrane and play a part in the transport of molecules within the cell.
- They not only digest large molecules, they are also responsible for breaking down the cell's waste products and getting rid of them.
- There are more than 60 different enzymes in lysosomes that allow them to perform these processes.

Additional information:
- Many complex molecules such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids are digested by lysosomes, which the cell then recycles for other uses.
- Several different sorts of molecules are digested by lysosomes. If an endocytic vesicle (a vesicle which brings particles into the cell) fuses with them, they can digest food molecules that enter the cell into smaller parts.
- They may also perform autophagy, which is the removal of organelles that are poorly functioning. Furthermore, lysosomes play a part in phagocytosis, which is when a cell swallows a molecule to break it down; it is often referred to as 'cell feeding'.
So, the correct answer is ‘(a) Acidic pH’.

Note:
- In order to break it down and kill it, white blood cells called phagocytes consume invading bacteria, and the bacteria are surrounded by a vesicle that fuses with lysosomes. The bacteria are then broken down by these lysosomes.