Explain the heterophagic intracellular digestion

Question

Explain the heterophagic intracellular digestion? How is this procedure accomplished?

Answer 1

Heterophagic intracellular digestion is the breaking of smaller substances of external substances engulfed in the cell by phagocytosis or pinocytosis. Pinosomes or Phagosomes fuse with lysosomes making the digestive vacuoles. In the digestive vacuoles the molecules to be digested are hydrolyzed and the products of digestion cross via the membrane and reach the cytoplasm or they are kept within the vacuoles. The vacuole with remains from digestion is termed as residual body and by exocytosis it fuses with plasma membrane and discharges its “waste” in the external space.