STRUCTURE-FUNCTION ORGANIZATION AND BIOGENESIS OF PEROXISOMES IN METHYLOTROPHIC YEASTS

Peroxisomes are found in most eukaryotes. Methylotrophic yeasts are us eful for the study of these organelles (they are abundant in these yea st cells) and the key enzymes of methanol metabolism (particularly alc ohol oxidase) appear to be a convenient model for studies of peroxisom e biogenesis. The present review summarizes results of studies on the structural and functional organization of peroxisomes aimed at the sol ution of some fundamental problems. Among these are the biosynthesis a nd molecular organization of peroxisome-related proteins, their topoge nesis including their targeting, transport, and assembly, the structur e of the peroxisome membrane, and the translocation of matrix proteins . To understand the biogenesis of peroxisomes it is necessary to study the genetic basis of their organization, factors regulating transcrip tion of genes encoding peroxisome proteins, specific marker groups of the proteins (peroxisome targeting signals, PTS), structural component s of the peroxisomal membrane and matrix, corresponding receptors, and PTS recognizing and associative factors involved in sorting, transloc ation through the membrane, and assembly of peroxisomal proteins.