Question

8. While many prokaryotic cells have a single membrane bilayer, all eukaryotic cells have a complex system of internal membrane-bound compartments. How might it be advantageous for the cell to have these additional compartments?

Answer 1

In Eukaryotes cell compartmentalization is usually seen to make possible many processes that must be separated from the remaining cellular environment to function properly.

1. Compartmentalization provides separate microenvironment so that they live and work in separate areas within the cell in order to perform their specific functions more efficiently.

2. Enzymatic or biochemical reactions that are taking place inside the cell organelles for various cellular activities have often different temperatures and pH levels, so in a restricted cellular environment, a more efficient activity can be done to maintain different temperatures and pH levels.

3. Compartmentalization affects the regulation of metabolic pathways very well making them more accurate and targeted and less interfering with each other.

4. Cells also protect themselves against the activity of lytic enzymes.