• Question: Can cell vacuoles burst?

    Asked by safa to Alexis, Dr D, Helen, Jasmine, Mario on 18 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Alexis Barr

      Alexis Barr answered on 18 Jun 2013:

      No I don’t think they can. In plant cells, the cell wall prevents the vacuole from bursting. In animal cells (that don’t have a cell wall), the vacuole will pump water out of the cell and so shouldn’t get full enough to burst.

    • Photo: Andrew Devitt

      Andrew Devitt answered on 19 Jun 2013:

      I wouldn’t think so. Like Alexis says, the plant cell wall acts like a scaffold to support the cell and prevent it from bursting. In our cells, we have a load of molecules that respond really quickly to changes in osmotic potential. These are called aquaporins because they are pores that move water!

Comments