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The lysosome turns fifty

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Abstract

In the course of an investigation aimed at characterizing hepatic glucose 6-phosphatase, the unrelated acid phosphatase of rat liver was serendipitously observed to be latent and particle-bound in freshly prepared homogenates. Experiments designed to elucidate this intriguing finding led, 50 years ago, to the discovery of lysosomes. This could not have happened if strict adherence to a previously set programme had been mandatory.

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Figure 1: Purified lysosomes from rat liver, ×18,400.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium

    Christian de Duve

  2. Rockefeller University, New York

    Christian de Duve

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  1. Christian de Duve
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de Duve, C. The lysosome turns fifty. Nat Cell Biol 7, 847–849 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb0905-847

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