microbody
Sign in to saveA microbody (or cytosome) is a type of organelle that is found in the cells of plants, protozoa, and animals. Organelles in the microbody family include peroxisomes, glyoxysomes, glycosomes and hydrogenosomes. In vertebrates, microbodies are especially prevalent in the liver and kidney. Many membrane bound vesicles called microbodies that contain various enzymes, are present in both plant and animal cells.
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Structure
- Function
- Peroxisomes
- Glyoxysomes
- History
- References
A microbody (or cytosome) is a type of organelle that is found in the cells of plants, protozoa, and animals. Organelles in the microbody family include peroxisomes, glyoxysomes, glycosomes and hydrogenosomes. In vertebrates, microbodies are especially prevalent in the liver and kidney. Many membrane bound vesicles called microbodies that contain various enzymes, are present in both plant and animal cells.
==Structure== thumb|Microbody structure - a peroxisome Microbodies are different type of bodies present in the cytosol, also known as cytosomes. A microbody is usually a vesicle with a spherical shape, ranging from 0.2-1.5 micrometers in diameter. Microbodies are found in the cytoplasm of a cell, but they are only visible with the use of an electron microscope. They are surrounded by a single phospholipid bilayer membrane and they contain a matrix of intracellular material including enzymes and other proteins, but they do not seem to contain any genetic material to allow them to self-replicate.