Lysosomes

Lysomes are membrane bound organelles, thought to be formed by Golgi bodies, which are loaded with strong hydrolitic enzymes to carry out intracellular digestion.  When a lysome is formed, it is able to fuse with a vesicle in which there is a substance to be digested.  Lysomes carry out fuctions in both plant and animal cells.  In a single celled organism, they are part of the digestion process within the cell.  In multicellular organisms, cell organelles which are no longer usefull are broken down by lysomes.  They also serve as part of the bodies defence system. White blood cells have the ability to engulf bacteria in the blood.  When a bacterium is encircled by the cell, the cell membrane becomes a vacuole around it.  The chemical contents of the lysomes within the white blood cells are released into the bacterium as they fuse with it.  The enzymes are then able to deystroy the bacteria.  Lysomes are also necessary in certain processes in development of an organism.

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