| description | Protein related to the vacuole of a cell. The precise form and function of vacuoles may vary between phyla. Plant vacuoles are among the best characterized. They are generally large fluid-filled compartments in the cytoplasm, bounded by a membrane called the tonoplast; individual vacuoles can fuse to form larger species Examples include the lytic vacuole, the storage vacuole and the lutoid. One important function of plant vacuoles is the maintenance of hydrostatic pressure. Other eukaryotes employ vacuoles for a variety of purposes, including storage (as in the yeast lysosome/vacuole), secretion and phagocytosis. In Protozoa, contractile vacuoles can be used to discharge water from the cytoplasm to the external environment |
