A contractile vacuole (abbreviation: CV) is a sub-cellular structure (organelle) involved in osmoregulation. It is found predominantly in protists and in unicellular algae. It was previously known as pulsatile or pulsating vacuole. ==Overview== The CV pumps excess water out of the cell. In freshwater environments the concentration of solutes insid...
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regulatory organelle, usually spherical, found in freshwater protozoa and lower metazoans, such as sponges and hydras, that collects excess fluid ... [5 related articles]
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An organelle that pumps excess water out of many freshwater protist cells, such as amoebae. The force that operates the contractile vacuole is strongly suspected of being generated by myosin Ic, a molecular motor that works in conjunction with actin.
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A specialised vacuole of eukaryote cells, especially Protozoa, that fills with water from the cytoplasm and then discharges this externally by the opening of a permanent narrow neck. Function is probably osmoregulatory. ... (18 Nov 1997) ...
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A specialized vacuole of eukaryotic cells, especially Protozoa, that fills with water from the cytoplasm and then discharges this externally by the opening of a permanent narrow neck or a transitory pore. Function is probably osmoregulatory.
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Type: Term Definitions: 1. a cavity formed by the accumulation of fluid in the ectoplasm of a protozoan; after increasing for a time it empties itself externally by a sudden contraction; it functions as an osmoregulatory mechanism for water balance, especially in freshwater protozoans.
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In many protists, a specialized vacuole with associated channels designed to collect excess water in the cell. Microtubules periodically contract to force this excess water out of the cell, regulating the cell's osmotic balance.
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http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/glossary_4.html
Part of the contractile vacuole complex, often the only part that is visible with the light-microscope. It collects fluid and periodically allows the fluid to be discharged through the cell surface.
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a membrane-enveloped cellular organelle, found in many microorganisms, that periodically expands, filling with water, and then contracts, expelling its contents to the cell exterior: thought to be important in maintaining hydrostatic equilibrium. See diags. under
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