Vesicles
Vesicles are intracellular transporters, used to move macromolecules around the cell. A vesicle is made when an invaginated membrane part buds off from an organelle.This organelle is usually the the Golgi Apparatus; vesicles bud from the 'trans' end. Vesicles are vital to processes of intracellular transport, such as endo- and exocytosis. Vesicles have the ability to release or expel thier contents on reaching and fusing to the plasma membrane. For example, vesicles transport acetylcholine to the pre-synaptic membrane of a neuronal cell, where it is released into the synaptic cleft, to be received at the post-synaptic membrane. Vesicles are coated in protein. Different protein coats aid different transports steps.[1] Among the great variety of protein coats is Clathrin.
References
- ↑ (Alberts B., Johnson A., Lewis J., Raff M., Roberts K., Walter P (2007) Molecular Biology of the Cell, 5th edition, New York: Garland Science)