Question

The spherosomes are rich in
A. Triglyceride and Hydrolytic enzyme lipase
B. Oxidative enzyme
C. Nuclease
D. Protease

Answer 1

Hint: Endoplasmic reticulum is the main source from where spherosomes develop and the main functions of endoplasmic reticulum are protein synthesis, calcium storage and lipid metabolism. Sphaerosomes are involved in the process of lipid metabolism of endoplasmic reticulum.

Complete answer:
Perner in 1953 discovered spherosomes from plant cells. They are also known as spherosomes or oleosomes and are found only in plant cells. They are small retractile and spherical structures which arise from endoplasmic reticulum, having 0.5-1.0 µm diameter. They are covered by a single membrane with their phospholipid bilayer having polar heads directed towards cytosol and hydrophobic tails towards the inner side of the cell. 2% of sphaerosome is constituted by proteins like oleosins (These proteins give them the name Oleosomes) which stabilise their structure and the rest 98% is lipid portion.
They are found in the endosperm of the seeds (mostly oil seeds) and are said to have hydrolytic enzymes because of which they are considered to have lysosomal activity (Lysosomes are called suicidal bags as they have enzymes which can digest different macromolecules). They have acidic hydrolytic enzymes which perform the function of digestion and as the lysosomes are less in plants so they are known as Plant lysosomes. As their maximum portion is constituted by lipids and triglycerides (1 glycerol and 3 fatty acid molecules together bounded by ester bonds) are most common lipids which makes them rich in triglycerides.

So the answer for this question is Option A – Spherosomes are rich in Triglyceride and Hydrolytic enzyme lipase.

Additional Information: Sphaerosomes are one of different microbodies found in the cell. Different types of microbodies are :
1. Sphaerosomes
2. Peroxisomes
3. Glyoxysomes

Sphaerosomes	Peroxisomes	Glyoxysomes
Discovered by Perner	Discovered by Christian De Duve	Discovered by Harry Beevers
Found in plant cells only	Found in both plant and animal cells	Found in plant cells (germinating seeds mostly)
Involved in lipid synthesis	Involved in peroxide biosynthesis, photorespiration in plants and detoxification in animals.	Involved in β-oxidation of fatty acids and glyoxylate pathways.

Note: Microbodies are found in eukaryotic cells only and are known as ubiquitous respiratory organelles consisting of degrading digestive enzymes enclosed inside a single membrane. They may be having the same shape and enzymes in different tissues but their metabolic processes change with the location of the tissues.