The word "vacuoles" is spelled with four syllables, with stress on the second syllable "cu". In IPA phonetic transcription, it is spelled /ˈvæk.ju.oʊlz/, with the "a" sounding like "uh" and the "o" sounding like "oh". The "cu" is pronounced with a hard "k" sound and the final "s" is pronounced as a "z". Vacuoles are organelles found in plant cells that carry out various functions such as storage and decomposition of metabolic waste.
Vacuoles are membrane-bound organelles that are present in the cells of plants, animals, fungi, and certain protists. They are generally described as fluid-filled structures enclosed by a phospholipid bilayer known as the tonoplast, which separates their internal environment from the cytoplasm of the cell.
These organelles play a vital role in maintaining cell turgidity, intracellular transportation, and storage of various substances. Within plant cells, the central vacuole is the largest, occupying a significant portion of the cell volume. It helps maintain the cell's shape and rigidity by exerting pressure against the cell wall, and functions as a storage reservoir for water, ions, sugars, pigments, and other organic and inorganic molecules. Additionally, vacuoles in plants are involved in the breakdown and recycling of cellular waste products and the degradation of macromolecules.
In animal cells, vacuoles are smaller and less prominent than in plant cells. They are involved in various functions such as storage of water, nutrients, and waste products, pH homeostasis, enzymatic reactions, and transport processes. Animal cells usually contain multiple small vacuoles rather than a large central vacuole found in plant cells.
Overall, vacuoles are dynamic structures that perform crucial functions in the regulation of cell physiology and maintaining cellular homeostasis. Their varying sizes and compositions in different organisms reflect their diverse roles in fulfilling the specific needs of each cell type.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "vacuole" comes from the Latin word "vacuus", meaning "empty" or "void". The suffix "-ole" indicates a small or diminutive size. So, "vacuole" essentially means a small empty space.