Vacuole

A vacuole is a membrane-bound organelle found in the cytoplasm of plant, animal, fungal, and protist cells. It serves diverse functions, primarily acting as a storage space for water, nutrients, waste products, and other cellular substances. In plant cells, the large central vacuole plays a crucial role in maintaining turgor pressure, supporting the cell's structure, and regulating the cell's internal environment. Vacuoles also aid in waste disposal, ion storage, and even some digestive processes. Their size and specific contents can vary significantly depending on the cell type and its function.

Vacuole meaning with examples

• The plant cell's central vacuole was visibly swollen, indicating good turgor pressure, which kept the plant's leaves upright and firm, contrasting the dehydrated cell's. Inside the vacuole, dissolved sugars and mineral salts were concentrated, essential for the cell's metabolic activities and support the cell's shape.
• Researchers are studying the role of vacuoles in the storage of heavy metals in certain plant cells to understand how these plants can be used for phytoremediation, the process to clean polluted soils and waters.
• In animal cells, smaller vacuoles store food particles engulfed through endocytosis; these food vacuoles then fuse with lysosomes, where their contents are digested and used for the cell's energy consumption needs.
• The contractile vacuole in a paramecium helps to regulate water balance by expelling excess water from the cell, which is critical for survival in a hypotonic environment.
• The yeast cell, a type of fungus, used vacuoles to store enzymes involved in breaking down complex molecules, demonstrating the digestive and enzymatic role played by vacuoles.