Peroxisomes were first described by Rhodin, referring to them as 'microbodies'. Later on, De Duve successfully isolated them, along with lysosomes, via density gradient centrifugaton (Wanders, 2014). Both peroxisomes and lysosomes are found to be morphologically similar, with them both being small, single membrane-bound organelles that contain a wide range of enzymes (Cooper, 2000). However, peroxisomes have also been found to have similarities with mitochondria and chloroplasts in terms of biogenesis (Cooper, 2000). Peroxisomes are assembled from proteins, which are transported via the recognition and binding of specific motifs. These proteins then enter the peroxisome through channels within the peroxisomal membrane (Subramani, 1996).
The peroxisomal enzymes catalyse many metabolic reactions. Peroxisome function is diverse throughout the kingdoms, with some specific functions exclusive to certain species (Wanders, 2014). |
This video demonstrates how fluorescently tagged peroxisomes (green) and mitochondria (red) interact within the cell.
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