Lysosomal membrane integrity (null)

Lysosomal membrane integrity refers to the functional and structural steadfastness of the lysosomal limiting membrane, which is essential for maintaining compartmentalization of acidic hydrolases and ions within lysosomes. This prevents unwanted proteolysis and cytotoxicity in the cytoplasm. Loss of membrane integrity (“lysosomal membrane permeabilization”) leads to the leakage of lysosomal contents, which can trigger cell death pathways such as apoptosis or necrosis, activate inflammatory signaling, or disrupt metabolic homeostasis. Integrity is maintained by structural membrane proteins (such as LAMPs and LIMP-2), protein glycosylation, ion channels, and cellular repair mechanisms (like ESCRT-mediated repair and lysophagy). Lysosomal membrane integrity is critical to health, with its disruption playing a pathogenic role in several diseases, including neurodegeneration, cancer, infection, lysosomal storage diseases, and age-related degeneration. In summary, lysosomal membrane integrity is not a specific molecular target but rather a functional cellular state dependent on a complex interplay of proteins, lipids, and pathways that maintain lysosome compartmentalization and function.

Other names

Lysosome membrane integrityIntegrity of lysosomal membraneLysosomal membrane stabilityLysosomal membrane permeabilization

Drugs or toxins that target lysosomal membrane integrity typically act by inducing membrane permeabilization (causing release of lysosomal enzymes into the cytosol, triggering cell death), or by inhibiting repair pathways, often to drive apoptosis in diseases like cancer