Vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane to release their contents outside the cell.
Vesicles from the Golgi travel along cytoskeletal tracks and fuse with the plasma membrane, releasing contents and adding membrane. It can be constitutive (continuous) or regulated, such as calcium-triggered release of neurotransmitters.
Exocytosis balances endocytosis so the cell surface area stays constant.
Vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane to release their contents outside the cell.
Exocytosis is one of the 52 topics in Cell Biology. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Endocytosis, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Vesicle Trafficking.
Pancreatic beta cells release insulin by exocytosis when blood glucose rises.
Work through the Beginner topics in Cell Biology first, such as Cell Theory, Prokaryotic Cell, Eukaryotic Cell, then return to Exocytosis. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Exocytosis are Endocytosis, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Vesicle Trafficking, Facilitated Diffusion. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Exocytosis. To practise the whole of Cell Biology, use the Cell Biology quiz.
Exocytosis: Vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane to release their contents outside the cell. Endocytosis: The uptake of materials by folding the plasma membrane inward to form a vesicle inside the cell. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Endocytosis and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Cell Biology quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
The uptake of materials by folding the plasma membrane inward to form a vesicle inside the cell.
🔬 Cell BiologyA network of membrane tubes and sacs; the rough form makes proteins and the smooth form makes lipids.
🔬 Cell BiologyCoat proteins and SNARE complexes sort, bud and fuse vesicles to move cargo between membrane compartments.
🔬 Cell BiologyPassive transport of ions and polar molecules down a gradient through channel or carrier proteins.
🔬 Cell Biology