Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization01:46

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization

One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
Eukaryotic Compartmentalization01:37

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization

One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
Eukaryotic Compartmentalizations01:46

Eukaryotic Compartmentalizations

One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
Eukaryotic Evolution01:24

Eukaryotic Evolution

The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
Vesicular Tubular Clusters01:45

Vesicular Tubular Clusters

After budding out from the ER membrane, some COPII vesicles lose their coat and fuse with one another to form larger vesicles and interconnected tubules called vesicular tubular clusters or VTCs. These clusters constitute a compartment at the ER-Golgi interface known as ERGIC (Endoplasmic Reticulum Golgi Intermediate Compartment). The ERGIC is a mobile membrane-bound cargo transport system that sorts proteins secreted from ER and delivers them to the Golgi.
With the help of motor proteins such...
Distribution of Cytoplasmic Content02:33

Distribution of Cytoplasmic Content

Cytokinesis segregates a cell’s chromosomes and organelles into its daughter cells. Organelles divide and grow prior to cell division but cannot be synthesized de novo; therefore, cells must receive at least one copy of each organelle to survive. Currently, many of the details of how the organelles are distributed are not yet fully elucidated.
Distribution of cytoplasmic determinants
The cytoplasm contains various organelles, as well as salts, proteins, and water. The distribution of small...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Bayesian Inference of Sex-Specific Mortality Profiles and Product Yields from Unsexed Cattle Zooarchaeological Remains.

Journal of archaeological method and theory·2025
Same author

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Transplant Criteria Show Poor Negative Predictive Value: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Journal of personalized medicine·2025
Same author

EsoDetect: computational validation and algorithm development of a novel diagnostic and prognostic tool for dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus.

PeerJ·2025
Same author

HepatoPredict Accurately Selects Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients for Liver Transplantation Regardless of Tumor Heterogeneity.

Cancers·2025
Same author

Analytical validation and algorithm improvement of HepatoPredict kit to assess hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis before a liver transplantation.

Practical laboratory medicine·2024
Same author

Biological and substitute parents in Beaker period adult-child graves.

Scientific reports·2023
Same journal

Mechanistic insights into acetylated histone recognition by the CECR2 bromodomain.

The Biochemical journal·2026
Same journal

Nanobodies against Plasmodium adhesins that block receptor engagement and malaria parasite invasion.

The Biochemical journal·2026
Same journal

Persistence without turnover: the RhoG G12E mutant highlights the role of nucleotide cycling in RhoG signaling.

The Biochemical journal·2026
Same journal

Alternative Splicing of Rice Chloroplastic CuZn Superoxide Dismutase, OsCSD2: Impact on expression and protein characteristics.

The Biochemical journal·2026
Same journal

Difference and similarity between the ubiquitous secretory pathway Ca2+-ATPases, SERCA2b, and SPCA1a.

The Biochemical journal·2026
Same journal

A molecular perspective on dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolases structure and function.

The Biochemical journal·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Visualization of Endoplasmic Reticulum Subdomains in Cultured Cells
16:43

Visualization of Endoplasmic Reticulum Subdomains in Cultured Cells

Published on: February 18, 2014

Evolution of intracellular compartmentalization.

Yoan Diekmann1, José B Pereira-Leal

  • 1Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.

The Biochemical Journal
|December 18, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cellular compartmentalization, including membrane-bound and protein-based structures, is found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The complexity, not the presence, of these intracellular compartments distinguishes cell types.

More Related Videos

Enriching Subcellular Proteins in Leptospira Using a Triton X-114-Based Fractionation Approach
04:25

Enriching Subcellular Proteins in Leptospira Using a Triton X-114-Based Fractionation Approach

Published on: August 8, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 16, 2026

Visualization of Endoplasmic Reticulum Subdomains in Cultured Cells
16:43

Visualization of Endoplasmic Reticulum Subdomains in Cultured Cells

Published on: February 18, 2014

Enriching Subcellular Proteins in Leptospira Using a Triton X-114-Based Fractionation Approach
04:25

Enriching Subcellular Proteins in Leptospira Using a Triton X-114-Based Fractionation Approach

Published on: August 8, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Cells utilize physical barriers like membranes and proteins to compartmentalize biochemical functions.
  • Eukaryotes possess diverse membrane-bound compartments, often lineage- or tissue-specific.
  • Prokaryotes also exhibit membrane-based and protein-based intracellular compartments, challenging traditional distinctions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the diversity of intracellular compartments in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
  • To explore current theories and controversies surrounding the evolutionary origins of these compartments.
  • To discuss the evolutionary processes shaping the genetic basis of intracellular compartments across life domains.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on cellular compartmentalization.
  • Comparative analysis of membrane-based, endosymbiotic, and protein-based compartments.
  • Examination of evolutionary origins and genetic underpinnings.

Main Results:

  • Intracellular compartmentalization is widespread in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
  • Endosymbionts and distinct prokaryotic organelles have been identified.
  • Protein-based compartments are common in bacteria and also present in eukaryotes.

Conclusions:

  • The complexity of cellular compartmentalization, rather than its mere existence, differentiates prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell plans.
  • Evolutionary origins of compartments involve diverse processes across different life domains.
  • Further research is needed to fully understand the evolutionary trajectories of intracellular compartments.