Lysosome Essay

Lysosomes are specialized vesicles, which are located inside eukaryotic cells; they contain digestive enzymes that break down any unknown material that goes within the cell. The actual name “lysosome” means releasing body, the enzymes it produces causes lysis otherwise known as disintegration. These enzymes are mainly used to break down any bacteria that the cell intakes or to break down any part of the cell that is worn out. The enzymes found in the lysosome are so potent, that if they were released, they could destroy their host cell; therefore in most normal cells they remain quarantined in the lysosome’s membrane. Lysosomes main functions are to break down any individual protein, to all types of biological polymers including proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. In other words, the lysosomes can be seen as the digestive system of the cells. There are various ways that lysosomes rid the cell of any intrusions, one of the most common methods is through phagocytosis which the lysosome actually eats the bacteria or virus, and it can recycle its receptor proteins in the cell wall through endocytosis. For the lysosome to function, it needs a pH level of 4.5. With a pH that acidic, it can cause plenty of damage to the intracellular fluid, which in turn is alkaline with a high pH level. Fortunately the lysosomes have a surrounding membrane that protects any damage to the cells cytosol. There are well over 50 known diseases associated with lysosome dysfunctions, such as Gaucher disease, Tay Sachs disease, Pompe disease, beta-galactosidase deficiency. Including many in which lysosomes cannot break down material that enters the cell therefore retaining it rather than disintegrating them, there are others where the lysosom...

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... is ineffective.” (Kelly, Jeffrey Dr.) Dr. Jeffrey Kelly also adds "The research is especially promising because we enhanced the cellular folding and function of mutated lysosomal enzymes, whose deficient function is linked to lysosomal storage diseases, using two distinct categories of FDA-approved drugs that have been shown to be safe and effective for the treatment of high blood pressure and muscle spasms," The first author of this research study, Derrick Sek Tong Ong states "We wanted to uncover general principles that could be applied to a variety of loss-of-function protein misfolding diseases. This study reveals how we can enhance the capacity of the cellular machinery to fold and traffic a mutant enzyme, so that the protein can function better," This study helped us come to the conclusion that prescription drugs help in restoring cellular function to normal.