Chapter Thirteen 

The fusion of phagosomes with lysosomes

What are lysosomes?

In short they are the digestive system of the cell their functions:

Intracellular digestion

Pinocytic vacuoles formed

an active, energy consuming process where extracellular fluid and solutes are taken up into a cell via small vesicles

as a result of absorption of fluid substance into cell or phagocytic vacuoles formed by absorption of solid particles into cell, carry protein material to lysosomal region

Removal of dead cells

Lysosomal membrane ruptures in these cells, releasing enzymes into body of cell, so that whole cell may be digested. Lysosomes contain a sufficient complement of enzymes to digest most types of biological or organic materials and the digestive process (autolysis) occurs quite rapidly in dead cells. This process of tissue degeneration (necrosis) is due to this lysosomal activity

forms the mature phagolysosome which has full degradative

the process in which chemical additives and pigments in polymers are susceptible to microbial attack

and microbicidal capacity. 

an agent that destroys microbes

Heterotypic fusion

occurs between cells of different types

The result of this fusion is also a synkaryon

a cell nucleus formed by the fusion of two preexisting nuclei

produced by the merging of the nuclei, and a binucleated heterokaryon in the absence of nuclear fusion

Binucleated cells are cells that contain two nuclei. This type of cell is most commonly found in cancer cells 

between the phagosome and lysosome is imperative for phagocytes to carry out their functions in immunity and homeostasis and is a tightly regulated process.

a principal driver of phagosomal maturation and is targeted by several adapted intracellular pathogens