Pseudopodium
Pseudopodium
Pseudopodium (pronunciation: soo-doh-POH-dee-uhm, plural: pseudopodia) is a temporary projection of the cytoplasm in certain cells, especially phagocytes, amoebas, and other protozoans. It serves for locomotion or the ingestion of food.
Etymology
The term pseudopodium comes from the Greek words "pseudes" meaning false, and "pous" meaning foot, thus translating to "false foot".
Function
A pseudopodium functions in locomotion and feeding by extending and then retracting, which pulls the cell's body forward. It is a characteristic of both amoebas and white blood cells. The pseudopodium extends by the flow of cytoplasmic material and retracts by the withdrawal of the same material.
Types
There are several types of pseudopodia, based on their appearance and function:
- Lobopodia - These are bulbous, short, and blunt in form. They are the most common type of pseudopodia.
- Filopodia - These are slender and filiform with pointed ends. They contain both ectoplasm and endoplasm.
- Reticulopodia - These are net-like or branched in form.
- Axopodia - These are long, thin pseudopodia containing complex arrays of microtubules and are covered by cytoplasm.
Related Terms
- Amoeba - A type of cell or organism which has the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and retracting pseudopodia.
- Phagocytosis - The process by which a cell uses its pseudopodia to engulf a large particle, giving rise to an internal compartment known as the phagosome.
- Cytoskeleton - A complex, dynamic network of interlinking protein filaments present in the cytoplasm of all cells, including bacteria and archaea.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Pseudopodium
- Wikipedia's article - Pseudopodium
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