Question

(a) which cell organelles are referred to as suicide bags?
(b) Mention the scientific contribution to C. de Duve.

Answer 1

Suicidal bags is the another name of the organelle found in the animal cell.
The organelle is responsible for breaking down the products and gets rid of the waste material of the cell. They contain an enzyme which is responsible to carry out these processes.

Complete answer:
(a) cell organelle which is referred to as suicidal bags is known as lysosomes.
Lysosome is found in the animal cells.
Lysosomes are spherical organelles which contain a single layer membrane, but its shape and size varies.
They are generally very small ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 micrometer but they can reach up to 1.2 micrometer.
Bilayer is made up of phospholipids which are molecules that have hydrophilic phosphate group heads, a glycerol molecule, and hydrophobic fatty acid tails.
Lysosomes are the organelles present in the animal cells that contain digestive enzymes and break down waste materials, foreign materials and foreign particles that enter the cell.
It helps the cell to process its nutrients and is responsible for destroying the cell after it has died.
It is bounded by only one single membrane.
It break-down the structures within the cells.
(b) C. de Duve was a Belgian scientist. In 1955, he discovered lysosomes accidentally through fractionation technique.

Note: Function of lysosomes:
1. It digests many complex compounds like carbohydrates, protein and fats.
2. Helps in release of enzymes outside the cell by the process of exocytosis.
3. The pH of the lysosomes is around 5 because their hydrolytic enzyme works properly in neutral pH.