Talk:Cytosis

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Dear viewers,

I am improving this page on Cytosis for a class project under the supervision of Dr. Lesly Temesvari (Username:LTEMESV) at Clemson University.

Thank you,

Melissa Paige McKeithan (Username: MMCKEIT) Mmckeit (talk) 17:34, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

Comment
I am not a subject matter expert, but I suspect this page might contain a small fundamental error. I suspect the three words given (endocytosis, exocytosis, and transcytosis) refer collectively to types of cell transport, but the word cytosis itself does not. I suspect cytosis can refer to two things, an excess number of cells of some type (based on the prefix you attach, cf erythrocytosis for excess red blood cells) or some condition of a cell, based on the prefix you attach, eg isocytosis, equality in size relative to other cells.

The etymology of cyto- is from the greek for vessel, as noted here, and is used to refer to cells: cyto- Look up cyto- at Dictionary.com before a vowel, cyt-, word-forming element, Latinized comb. form of Greek kytos "a hollow, receptacle, basket" (from PIE *ku-ti-, from root *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal;" see hide (n.1)); used in modern science since c.1859 for "cell," perhaps especially from the sense (in Aristophanes) of "a cell of a hive of wasps or bees."

And the etymology for -osis is a condition of something, for example hepatosis is dysfunction (a condition) of the liver (hepat-)

And the etymology page for cytosis says that you prepend a prefix to -cytosis, to get a word referring to some characteristic of a cell related to that prefix. For example gives a definition of excess red blood cells, and an etymology of erythros +kyto +osis

For example, consider the second definition b, at this location:

cy·to·sis (sī-tō'sis) 1. A condition with more than the usual number of cells present ... 2. Frequently used with a prefixed combining form as a means of describing certain features pertaining to cells; e.g., isocytosis, equality in size; polycytosis, abnormal increase in number. [cyto- + G. -osis, condition]

Anyway I apologize for not being more to the point, but I was not sure how else to illustrate this.

Techgrrl (talk) 18:28, 1 October 2013 (UTC)