endosome
Sign in to savethumb|315px|alt=endocytic pathway compartments|Electron micrograph of endosomes in human HeLa cells. Early endosomes (E - labeled for EGFR, 5 minutes after internalisation, and transferrin), late endosomes/MVBs (M) and lysosomes (L) are visible. Bar, 500 nm.
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Function
- Types
- Pathways
- Golgi to/from endosomes
- Plasma membrane to/from early endosomes (via recycling endosomes)
- Late endosomes to lysosomes
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|315px|alt=endocytic pathway compartments|Electron micrograph of endosomes in human HeLa cells. Early endosomes (E - labeled for EGFR, 5 minutes after internalisation, and transferrin), late endosomes/MVBs (M) and lysosomes (L) are visible. Bar, 500 nm.
Endosomes are a collection of intracellular sorting organelles in eukaryotic cells. They are parts of the endocytic membrane transport pathway originating from the trans Golgi network. Molecules or ligands internalized from the plasma membrane can follow this pathway all the way to lysosomes for degradation or can be recycled back to the cell membrane in the endocytic cycle. Molecules are also transported to endosomes from the trans Golgi network and either continue to lysosomes or recycle back to the Golgi apparatus.