The Peroxisome

Found in virtually all plant and animal cells, this organelle plays a critical role in normal cell functioning. In human cells, peroxisomes house some sixty enzymes, involved in such metabolic processes as bile acid, cholesterol, and plasmalogen biosynthesis, as well as ß-oxidation (i.e. the molecular oxygen-induced breakdown) of certain lipids.

As a by-product of its normal function, and the reason the organelle is so named, the peroxisome produces hydrogen peroxide. To neutralize this potentially toxic compound, a normally functioning peroxisome imports the hydrogen peroxide-metabolizing enzyme catalase, from the cytosol of the cell. Catalase converts hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen. As the cell ages, or is affected by disease or mutation, this process goes awry. As a result, catalase is, to varying extents, mislocalized in these cells. EXT’s technologies are designed to restore normal functioning of the peroxisome and of the cell, by directing catalase back to the organelle.