Dictyosome (Noun)
Meaning
A netlike structure in the cytoplasm of animal cells (especially in those cells that produce secretions).
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- The Golgi apparatus, also known as a dictyosome, is a complex organelle found in eukaryotic cells that plays a crucial role in protein modification and lipid synthesis.
- Each dictyosome is composed of a stack of flattened membrane-bound sacs, or cisternae, surrounded by a network of tubules and vesicles.
- Dictyosomes function primarily as a packaging organelle, enclosing newly synthesized proteins and lipids in vesicles that are then shipped to various parts of the cell.
- In cells that produce secretions, dictyosomes accumulate at one end, modifying and packaging the products for exocytosis.
- Dictyosomes are especially numerous in cells that produce large amounts of secretions, such as pancreatic cells and goblet cells.