autophagosome
noun
au·to·phago·some
ˌȯ-tō-ˈfag-ə-ˌsōm
: a double membrane-bound vesicle that encloses cellular constituents and fuses with lysosomes which digest these cellular constituents during autophagy
The autophagosome does not bud off from preexisting organelles but, rather, is formed by a dynamic process of membrane expansion.—Daniel J. Klionsky, The New England Journal of Medicine
During autophagy, a portion of cytoplasm is sequestered into an autophagosome: this then fuses with the lysosome, and the cytoplasm-derived materials are degraded.—Satoshi Tsukamoto et al., Science
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share