Science
Compartmentalization.
Definition
Compartmentalization is the organization of a cell into distinct membrane-bound compartments (organelles) that maintain different chemical environments. This allows incompatible chemical reactions to occur simultaneously in the same cell.
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 Lysosomes compartmentalize digestive enzymes at low pH so they don't destroy the rest of the cell
- 2 The mitochondrial inner membrane creates a compartment for the proton gradient needed for ATP synthesis
- 3 The nucleus keeps DNA separate from the cytoplasm, controlling gene expression