Digestion Flashcards
Intracellular Digestion
Catabolism. Processes of breaking down biological structures into their component macromolecules within cytoplasmic organelles
Where does most intracellular digestion occur?
Within a membrane bound organelle - compounds that can break down macromolecules can potentially damage the cell
What are the 2 types of intracellular digestion?
- Heterophagy
- Autophagy
Heterophagy
Digestion of endocytosed materials.
- materials that entered via pinocytosis in a pinocytotic vesicle
- materials that entered via phagocytosis in a phagosome
Autophagy
Digestion of cell’s own components. Cells forms a vesicle called an autosome
What are the organelles that specialize in intracellular digestion?
- Endosomes
- Lysosomes
- Peroxisomes
- Proteasomes
What are the two endosomes and what do they do?
- Early endosome - sort endocytosed materials
- Late endosome - lysosome precursors (enzymes not activated)
Lysosomes
Digest numerous macromolecules via active acid hydrolases. Phagosomes and autosomes tend to fuse directly with lysosomes
Peroxisomes
Digest very long fatty acids via oxidative enzymes
Proteasomes
Digest misfolded proteins via proteolysis
What is the maturation to a lysosome?
Early endosome -> Late endosome -> Lysosome (decreasing in pH)
What do early endosomes, late endosomes, and lysosomes all do? What are their characteristics?
Ingest, sequester, and break down materials that enter via endocytosis
Membrane bound and have acidic lumen contents
Early Endosomes
Sorting centers
Uncouple receptors and ligands
Identify contents
Send ligands to late endosomes (usually) or lysosomes
Send receptors back to cell membrane (recycle)
Where are early endosomes located?
Close to cell membrane
Late Endosomes
Pre-Lysosomes
More acidic than early endosomes
Have same shipping label as lysosomes - mannose-6-phosphate
Where are late endosomes located? Where do they get there enzymes?
Located further from cell membrane.
Golgi send lysosomal proteoenzymes tagged with mannose-6-phosphate (inactive acid hydrolases)
Lysosomes
Digestion and destruction
Degrade macromolecules using hydrolytic enzymes (acid hydrolases)
Late endosomes becomes lysosomes when pH drops
Abundant in white blood cells
What are examples of macromolecules that can be broken down by lysosomes and into what?
Proteins -> Amino acids
Polysaccharides/Oligosaccharides -> Monosaccharides
DNA & RNA -> Nucleosides and inorganic phosphate
Tracylglyerol -> Fatty acids and glycerol
Phospholipases -> Inorganic phosphate and head group