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Exocytosis

6 April, 2016 - 17:26

In contrast to these methods of moving material into a cell is the process of exocytosis. Exocytosis is the opposite of the processes discussed above in that its purpose is to expel material from the cell into the extracellular fluid. A particle enveloped in membrane fuses with the interior of the plasma membrane. This fusion opens the membranous envelope to the exterior of the cell, and the particle is expelled into the extracellular space (Figure 3.27).

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Figure 3.27
In exocytosis, a vesicle migrates to the plasma membrane, binds, and releases its contents to the outside of the cell.