Endocytosis types

Definition

Endocytosis types in plain English

Endocytosis is how a cell eats — it wraps part of its outer skin (membrane) around something outside and pulls it inward as a little bubble, like a water balloon pinching off. There are three flavors: phagocytosis ("cell eating") swallows big chunky solids like bacteria, pinocytosis ("cell drinking") gulps little sips of fluid, and receptor-mediated endocytosis is the picky one — special catcher's-mitt proteins (receptors) grab only one specific molecule, then a scaffold protein called clathrin dimples the membrane inward to bring just that cargo in. The last type is why it's precise instead of random.

Practice Endocytosis types

What is the atom’s net charge?

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