Final answer:
The endosome to lysosome transition is known as endosome maturation, involving modifications within the Golgi apparatus and sequential changes from early to late endosomes, before finally becoming a lysosome where contents are degraded.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process in which an endosome gradually transitions to a lysosome is known as endosome maturation. This process involves several steps:
- Proteins and lipids bud from the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) in transport vesicles and move to the Golgi apparatus.
- These molecules are then modified within the Golgi, often with the addition of sugar molecules or other small molecules like phosphate groups, to ensure they reach the correct destinations.
- The vesicles then transition into early endosomes; receptors are recycled back to the cell surface, and the internal contents are sorted.
- These early endosomes eventually mature into late endosomes and finally into lysosomes, where hydrolytic enzymes degrade the vesicle contents.
This maturation process is crucial for proper cellular digestion and recycling of materials.