What does exocytose mean?
Exocytose means to release material from a cell through exocytosis, a process in which a membrane-bound vesicle moves to the cell surface and fuses with the outer membrane, discharging its contents outside the cell. The verb can name the material being released, as when a glandular cell exocytoses a hormone, or describe the cellular event itself. It is especially associated with secretion, neurotransmission, immune responses, and the delivery of proteins and other substances to a cell's exterior. The closely related noun exocytosis names the process, while exocytose focuses on the action. In general writing, exocytosis is considerably more common because scientific discussions often refer to the mechanism rather than to the action as a verb. Exocytose is nevertheless useful when precision matters, especially when describing the movement of a specific substance or the behavior of a particular cell.
verbTo release a substance or other material from a cell by exocytosis; also, to undergo exocytosis.
- To release a substance or other material from a cell by exocytosis.
- To undergo exocytosis, especially to discharge stored material from a cell.
"The activated cell exocytoses its stored granules to release their contents at the cell surface."
"Secretory cells exocytose hormones after packaging them into membrane-bound vesicles."
"The damaged cell exocytosed its contents as its membrane ruptured."
Cells can exocytose vesicles like microscopic dispatchers, sending their cargo out through the membrane in one carefully controlled release.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does exocytose come from?
Exocytose is a scientific formation based on Greek exō, meaning “outside” or “out,” and kytos, meaning “cell.” It is closely related to exocytosis, the noun for the process of expelling material from a cell, which combines the same Greek elements with the process-forming suffix -osis. Related biological terms such as endocytosis, phagocytosis, and pinocytosis also draw on the Greek element kytos and were formed to distinguish different cellular processes.
Related word forms
How exocytose is actually used
This is a technical biological verb, encountered mainly in cellular biology, physiology, and neuroscience. It can be transitive when the released material is named and intransitive when the process itself is described.
Easily confused with exocytose
Exocytose is a verb meaning to release material by exocytosis, whereas exocytosis is the noun naming the cellular process itself.