Peroxisomes

The peroxisome is a ubiquitous cell organelle with conserved functions in oxygen metabolism and fatty acid degradation plus diverse specialized roles in myelin synthesis, gluconeogenesis, photorespiration, spermiogenesis, glycolysis, immune defense, and many other functions. It cooperates metabolically with mitochondria, lipid droplets, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and chloroplasts and adapts in abundance and functions to environmental demands. Peroxisome enzymes are synthesized in the cytosol and translocated into peroxisomes. Membrane proteins are imported directly or transported from the ER. Peroxisomes grow, divide, and are segregated into daughter cells. They are degraded by autophagy. Inherited human diseases result from defective peroxisome enzymes or failure to assemble the organelle.