What is the difference between a transport vesicle and a secretory vesicle?

Answer 1

Transport vesicles

Transport vesicles can move molecules between locations inside the cell, e.g., proteins from the rough endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus.

Membrane-bound and secreted proteins are made on ribosomes found in the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Most of these proteins mature in the Golgi apparatus before going to their final destination which may be to lysosomes, peroxisomes, or outside of the cell. These proteins travel within the cell inside of transport vesicles.

Secretory vesicles

Secretory vesicles contain materials that are to be excreted from the cell. Cells have many reasons to excrete materials. One reason is to dispose of wastes.

Another reason is tied to the function of the cell. Within a larger organism, some cells are specialized to produce certain chemicals. These chemicals are stored in secretory vesicles and released when needed.

Answer 2

A transport vesicle moves proteins and other molecules within a cell, while a secretory vesicle carries molecules to the cell membrane for release outside the cell. Transport vesicles are involved in intracellular trafficking, while secretory vesicles are part of the exocytosis process.