Question

What are endoplasm and ectoplasm?

Answer 1

Endoplasm is the granulated part of the cytoplasm, while ectoplasm is the agranulated part. Both these parts are associated with the plasma membrane of the cell.

Complete answer: The endoplasm generally refers to the inner and dense part of the cytoplasm of the cell, whereas the ectoplasm is the outer layer of the cytoplasm and is typically watery and immediately adjacent to the plasma membrane. The ectoplasm is adjacent to the plasma membrane. The endoplasm is separated from the nucleus with the help of the nuclear envelope. The endoplasm contains secretory vesicles that consist of granules. Apart from the granules, the endoplasm may contain water, inorganic ions, carbohydrates, lipids, enzymes, amino acids, nucleic acids, etc. It also accommodates the endomembrane system. Therefore, it is metabolically active, i.e. it is involved in various metabolic processes for example cell respiration, protein synthesis, and also cell division. The vesicles are shuttled between the organelles through the intracellular transport system. The ectoplasm is the outer relatively rigid granule free layer of the cytoplasm that is usually held to be the gel reversibly convertible to the solution. In certain organisms such as the amoeba, the ectoplasm is the thin, transparent, a bit rigid, contractile portion of the cytoplasm. The different consistencies of the endoplasm and the ectoplasm assist in the formation of the pseudopods. Some other function of the ectoplasm in the certain amoebae is for food ingestion. When the food comes in contact with an amoeba cell, the ectoplasm forms a tube called the ectoplasmic tube also takes the food into it and afterwards is converted into a food vacuole.

Note: Both the endoplasm and the ectoplasm have different compositions and viscosities, which are associated with the different functions. Both these terms are used to describe the cytoplasm of the amoeba, a protozoan eukaryotic cell. Also, both of them contribute to the locomotion of the amoeba.