Question

How do lysosomes kill bacteria?

Answer 1

Lysosomes:

1. Lysosomes are membrane-bound organelles and the area within their membrane is known as the lumen, which generally contains hydrolytic enzymes and other cellular debris.
2. Lysosomes destroy microorganisms with the help of hydrolytic enzymes present in them.
3. For e.g. a macrophage engulfs the microorganism through phagocytosis after which fuses with lysosomes, in which the pathogen is destroyed by hydrolytic enzymes.
4. The key function of the lysosomes is the digestion & removal of waste.
5. Cellular debris or foreign particles are pulled into the cell via the process of endocytosis.
6. When macrophages phagocytose foreign particles, they comprise them inside a phagosome.
7. The phagosome will then bind with a lysosome to form a phagolysosome.
8. These enzymes are sensitive to oxygen-independent killing mechanisms.
9. Lysosomes also help to defend against pathogen entry via endocytosis by degrading pathogens before they attain the cytoplasm.