Q.What is a mesosome in a prokaryotic cell? Mention the functions that it performs.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →A mesosome is a distinctive infolding of the plasma membrane found in prokaryotic cells, and it helps with cell-wall formation, DNA replication and its distribution to daughter cells, respiration, secretion, and increasing the membrane's surface area and enzyme content.
Prokaryotic cells lack the membrane-bound organelles of eukaryotes, so many jobs that would be shared out among separate organelles have to be handled by the cell membrane itself. The mesosome is the structure that makes this possible.
What it is. A mesosome is a special, differentiated form of the plasma membrane — a characteristic feature of prokaryotes. It is produced when the plasma membrane folds inward and extends into the interior of the cell. These infoldings are not shapeless; they take the form of vesicles, tubules and lamellae reaching into the cytoplasm.
Why it matters. Because it is really an extension of the membrane, the mesosome enormously increases the membrane surface available inside the cell, and with it the amount of enzyme the membrane can carry. This large, enzyme-rich surface lets a single membrane system carry out several processes at once.
The functions of the mesosome are:
- Cell wall formation — it assists in building the wall around the cell.
- DNA replication and distribution — it helps in copying the DNA and in sharing the copies out to the daughter cells during division.
- Respiration — it participates in the respiratory activity of the cell. …
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