Microbodies
Glyoxysome, peroxisome, lysosome
Microbody
• A microbody is a type of organelle that is found in the cells of plants,
protozoa and animals and microbody
• also referred to as cytosomes.
• typically a spherical vesicle with a diameter of between 0.2 and 1.5
micrometres.
• Microbodies can be seen in a cell’s cytoplasm, however, they can only
be viewed under an electron microscope.
• include peroxisome, glyoxysome and glycosome.
Structure
• Microbodies are present in the cytoplasm of a cell so they are known
as cytosomes.
• They are very small in size ~0.2-1.5 μm and can be seen under the
electron microscope.
• Some of the common characteristics of microbodies are:
• They are vesicular and mostly spherical in shape
• They are enclosed in a single membrane of a phospholipid bilayer
• The intracellular matrix contains proteins and enzymes
• They do not contain separate DNA
Functions
• Different types of microbodies perform various specific functions.
• Microbodies take part in various biochemical reactions in the cell
• The enzymes present in microbodies facilitate various essential
reactions, e.g. breakdown of fats, amino acids, alcohol, etc.
• They are involved in the photorespiration of plants
• Detoxification of peroxides occurs in microbodies
Glyoxysomes
• specialized peroxisomes found in plants (particularly in the fat storage
tissues of germinating seeds) and also in filamentous fungi.
• Seeds that contain fats and oils include corn, soybean, sunflower, peanut
and pumpkin.
• Functions:
• initiate the breakdown of fatty acids: Fatty acids are oxidized to acetyl-CoA by
peroxisomal β-oxidation enzymes (As in all peroxisomes).
• synthesis of sugars by gluconeogenesis: possess the key enzymes of the glyoxylate
cycle (isocitrate lyase and malate synthase) which accomplish the glyoxylate cycle
bypass.
• The seedling uses these sugars synthesized from fats until it is mature
enough to produce them by photosynthesis.
• When the fatty acids are oxidized
hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is produced as
oxygen (O2) is consumed. Thus the seeds
need oxygen to germinate.
The Discovery of Glyoxysomes:
the Work of Harry Beevers
• Beevers studied plant respiration and pathway involved in the conversion
of fat to sugar in castor bean seedlings.
• His initial work centered on “feeding” labeled precursors to castor bean
endosperm and analyzing the products and on isolating mitochondria and
studying their metabolic properties.
• Working together, Beevers and Kornberg showed that malate synthase and
isocitrate lyase, the two enzymes that characterize the glyoxylate cycle,
were present in the endosperm of castor beans.
• This discovery set the course of Beevers’ research for the next 25 years
GA Signal Transduction – Cereal
Aleurone Layers
2. GAs diffuse to aleurone
layer (Seed coat, fruit wall)
1. GAs are synthesized by 3. Aleurone layer
embryo and released into cells are induced to
starchy endosperm via the synthesize and
scutellum secret α–amylase
and other hydrolases
into endosperm
5. Endosperm solutes
are absorbed by the 4. Starch and other
scutellum and macromolecules are
transported to growing broken down to small
embryo molecules
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Introduction to Oleosomes
• Oleosome • Oil Seeds
• All seeds of plants that have the ability Sunflower
to store triglycerides as future energy Canola
Sesame
• Sequester these oils in Oleosomes Soyabean
Rapeseed
• An Oleosome is composed of an inner safflower
reservoir of vitamins and triglycerides,
which are surrounded by a
phospholipid bilayer that is
encapsulated by unique proteins
called oleosins.
Glyoxysomes
• Specialized peroxisomes found in plants
• membrane-bounded organelles
• Particularly in the fat storage tissues of germinating seeds
• Develop in lipid-rich seeds during germination
• In addition to glyoxylate cycle enzymes, glyoxysomes contain all the enzymes
needed for the degradation of the fatty acids stored in seed oils
Important Stages
1. Lipid hydrolysis
2. β-Oxidation of fatty acids
3. The Glyoxylate Cycle
4. The Mitochondrial Role
5. Gluconeogenesis in the Cytosol
Functions of glyoxylate cycle in plants
Germinating seedlings
• In plants the glyoxylate cycle occurs in special peroxisomes which are
called glyoxysomes. This cycle allows seeds to use lipids as a source of
energy to form the shoot during germination. The seed cannot
produce biomass using photosynthesis because of lack of an organ to
perform this function. The lipid stores of germinating seeds are used
for the formation of the carbohydrates that fuel the growth and
development of the organism.
As a source of carbon
• The glyoxylate cycle can also provide plants with another aspect of
metabolic diversity. This cycle allows plants to take in acetate both as
a carbon source and as a source of energy.
• Acetate is converted to acetyl CoA (similar to the TCA cycle). This
acetyl CoA can proceed through the glyoxylate cycle, and some
succinate is released during the cycle. The four carbon succinate
molecule can be transformed into a variety of carbohydrates through
combinations of other metabolic processes; the plant can synthesize
molecules using acetate as a source for carbon.
Peroxisomes
Background
Peroxisomes contain a variety of enzymes, which primarily function together to
rid the cell of toxic substances
• hydrogen peroxide
These organelles contain enzymes that convert the hydrogen peroxide to water,
rendering the potentially toxic substance safe for release back into the cell.
Some types of peroxisomes, such as those in liver cells, detoxify alcohol and
other harmful compounds by oxidation.
Others are more important for their ability to initiate the production of
phospholipids.
Background
• To carry out their activities, peroxisomes use significant amounts of oxygen.
This characteristic of the organelles would have been extremely important
millions of years ago, before cells contained mitochondria, when the Earth's
atmosphere first began to amass large amounts of oxygen due to the actions
of photosynthetic bacteria. Peroxisomes would have been primarily
responsible at that time for detoxifying cells by decreasing their levels of
oxygen, which was then poisonous to most forms of life. The organelles
would have provided the cellular benefit of carrying out a number of
advantageous reactions as well. Later, when mitochondria eventually
evolved, peroxisomes became less important (in some ways) to the cell
since mitochondria also utilize oxygen to carry out many of the same
reactions, but with the additional benefit of generating energy in the form
of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) at the same time.
