Biogenesis of peroxisomes: intracellular site of synthesis of catalase and uricase

Abstract

The intracellular site of synthesis of two peroxisomal enzymes of rat liver, uricase (urate:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.7.3.3) and catalase (hydrogen peroxide:hydrogen peroxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.11.1.6), has been localized on free ribosomes and not membrane-bound ribosomes. Free polysomes and membrane-bound polysomes, prepared by classical cell fractionation techniques from rat liver, were incubated for protein synthesis in a cell-free system derived from rabbit reticulocytes. Characterization of the total translation products by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate, as well as by immunoprecipitation with anti-rat albumin anti-serum, confirmed that good separation of the two polysome classes was achieved. Uricase and catalase were immunoprecipitable from translation products directed by free polysomes or phenol-extracted free polysomal mRNA but not from products of membrane-bound polysomes. Furthermore, unlike albumin, nascent uricase and catalase were not cotranslationally segregated by dog pancreas microsomal membranes. The results indicate that uricase and catalase are transferred to the interior of peroxisomes by a post-translational mechanism; an hypothesis is formulated here for the biogenesis of peroxisomes.