Vault (organelle)

The vault is a large cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein, a non-membrane-bound organelle in most eukaryotic cells whose function is not yet fully understood. Discovered and isolated by Nancy Kedersha and Leonard Rome in 1986, vaults are cytoplasmic structures (outside the nucleus) which, when negative stained and viewed under an electron microscope, resemble the arches of a cathedral's vaulted ceiling, with 39-fold symmetry. They are present in most eukaryotes and are highly conserved.

Most human cells have around 10,000 vaults, and in some types of immune cell there may be up to 100,000. Macrophages have the greatest number of vaults of any human cell.