noun
- Membrane-bound compartments inside cells that receive and sort materials taken in from outside the cell; part of the endocytic pathway.
Usage: biology; cell biology; plural form of endosome
Examples
- Endosomes play a crucial role in transporting nutrients and other molecules into the cell.
- The cell uses endosomes to sort and recycle proteins from the cell membrane.
- Researchers studied how viruses hijack endosomes to enter host cells.
- Early endosomes fuse together to form late endosomes as part of the degradation pathway.
- Defects in endosome function can lead to cellular dysfunction and disease.