Peroxisomes

Cells seem so tiny and simple when you just glance at them, but there is very little that is simple about cells. Cells are constantly carrying out different processes internally. When you start to take a more in-depth look inside of a cell, you will find an intricate network of organelles, which are internal cellular structures that perform a task for the cell.

The organelles within a cell will depend on the type of eukaryotic cell. Some organelles that you regularly hear about are mitochondria, ribosomes, and the smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum. I bet I know one organelle that you know very little about. We are going to discuss one particular organelle called peroxisomes. Peroxisomes are organelles that contain enzymes to carry out their functions. Let's get into the structure of peroxisomes and their functions.

Peroxisome Structure

Most organelles are created by budding off of the endomembrane system, but that is not the case with peroxisomes. Peroxisomes are created by taking in proteins and lipids from the cytoplasm of the cell. You remember the cytoplasm. It's the gel-like fluid in the cell in which the organelles are suspended.

The influx of proteins and lipids makes the peroxisome grow in size. Once the peroxisome is large enough, it divides through fission to create two peroxisomes. Peroxisomes are created in this manner because they don't have their own DNA to give instructions on making the proteins that they need to function. So peroxisomes must be created already containing all the proteins that they need.

Since peroxisomes are not created from the endomembrane system, they are bound by a single membrane instead of a double membrane like most organelles. The end result is a single membrane-bound organelle with lipids and proteins that act as enzymes.

Peroxisome Function

So what exactly do peroxisomes do for the cell? Glad you asked. The enzymes and lipids inside the peroxisomes are responsible for the functions. Let's start with the enzymes.

Hydrogen peroxide sounds familiar to you, right? You recall that it's a liquid that comes in a brown bottle which you have probably used on cuts and sores multiple times over the years. You may have even used it for teeth whitening, but you made sure you spit it out. Why? Because you know that hydrogen peroxide isn't good for the body, especially in large amounts. The interesting thing is that hydrogen peroxide is still safer than some other chemical compounds that may be in your body and, subsequently, in our cells.

Many of the processes that take place in our cells create some of the not-so-safe chemical compounds that can be harmful to our cells and our bodies. Those compounds are taken up by peroxisomes. The enzymes in the peroxisomes will transfer hydrogen atoms from different compounds to oxygen in order to create hydrogen peroxide.