Glyoxysomes are specialized peroxisomes found in plants (particularly in the fat storage tissues of germinating seeds) and also in filamentous fungi. As in all peroxisomes, in glyoxysomes the fatty acids are hydrolyzed to acetyl-CoA by peroxisomal β-odixation enzymes. Besides peroxisomal functions, glyoxysomes possess additionally the key enzymes of glyoxylate cycle (isocitrate lyase and malate synthase) which accomplish the glyoxylate cycle bypass.

Thus, glyoxysomes (as all peroxisomes) contain enzymes that initiate the breakdown of fatty acids and additionally possess the enzymes to produce intermediate products for the synthesis of sugars by gluconeogenesis. The seedling uses these sugars synthesized from fats until it is mature enough to produce them by photosynthesis.

[edit] References

• Sengbusch, Peter V. (2003) Botany online: Peroxysomes and Glyoxysomes
• UniProt Knowledgebase keyword: Glyoxysome

[edit] External links

• MeSH A11.284.195.190.500.585.250

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v • d • e Structures of the cell Endomembrane system Cell membrane - Nucleus (and Nucleolus) - Endoplasmic reticulum - Golgi apparatus - Peroxisome - Parenthesome Vesicles (Exosome - Lysosome - Endosome - Phagosome - Vacuole) Cytoplasmic granules (Melanosome - Microbody - Glyoxysome - Weibel-Palade body) Endosymbionts Mitochondrion - Plastids (Chloroplast - Chromoplast - Leucoplast) Cytoskeleton Microfilaments - Intermediate filaments - Microtubules - Prokaryotic cytoskeleton External Cell wall - Cilium/Flagellum - Acrosome Other Cytoplasm - Ribosome - MTOCs (Centrosome/Centriole - Basal body - Spindle pole body) - Vault - Proteasome