Page 48 - The Cell in 40 Topics

ver the course of a day, many processes of which we are to-
tally unaware take place in our bodies. Our cells carry out
these processes flawlessly. Inside these 100 trillion or so cells,
there are many structures that know their duties very well. Some generate
energy, others proteins, while still others engage in transportation or are
used as storage depots.
One of these structures in the cell is the lysosome, which can be de-
scribed as the cell's grinding machine. Thanks to the enzymes given off by
this organelle, a number of degradation processes take place in the body. The
enzymes released by lysosome destroy cells that no longer serve any pur-
pose. Besides breaking down or puncturing the membrane surrounding a
cell's structure, they also destroy down certain cells that constantly grow
inside the body.
This degradation process that lysosome performs is of enormous im-
portance to the body (Figure 37). As the baby develops in a pregnant
woman, for example the womb expands many times larger than its origi-
nal, normal size. This is essential for a healthy baby to be born. However,
after the baby is born there is no further need for the womb to be so capa-

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