At least 11 complementation groups (CGs) have been identified for the peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBDs) such as Zellweger syndrome, for which seven pathogenic genes have been elucidated. We have isolated a human PEX19 cDNA (HsPEX19) by functional complementation of peroxisome deficiency of a mutant Chinese hamster ovary cell line, ZP119, defective in import of both matrix and membrane proteins. This cDNA encodes a hydrophilic protein (Pex19p) comprising 299 amino acids, with a prenylation motif, CAAX box, at the C terminus. Farnesylated Pex19p is partly, if not all, anchored in the peroxisomal membrane, exposing its N-terminal part to the cytosol. A stable transformant of ZP119 with HsPEX19 was morphologically and biochemically restored for peroxisome biogenesis. HsPEX19 expression also restored peroxisomal protein import in fibroblasts from a patient (PBDJ-01) with Zellweger syndrome of CG-J. This patient (PBDJ-01) possessed a homozygous, inactivating mutation: a 1-base insertion, A 764 , in a codon for Met 255 , resulted in a frameshift, inducing a 24-aa sequence entirely distinct from normal Pex19p. These results demonstrate that PEX19 is the causative gene for CG-J PBD and suggest that the Cterminal part, including the CAAX homology box, is required for the biological function of Pex19p. Moreover, Pex19p is apparently involved at the initial stage in peroxisome membrane assembly, before the import of matrix protein.

Peroxisomes are ubiquitous organelles with a single membrane that contain over 50 different enzymes that catalyse various metabolic pathways, including beta-oxidation and lipid synthesis. Peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBDs), such as Zellweger syndrome and neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy, are fatal genetic diseases that are autosomal recessive. Among the PBDs of the 12 complementation groups (CGs), 11 associated PEX genes have been isolated. Accordingly, only the PBD pathogenic gene for CG8 (also called CG-A) remains unidentified. Here we have isolated human PEX26 encoding a type II peroxisomal membrane protein of relative molecular mass 34,000 (M(r) 34K) by using ZP167 cells, a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) mutant cell line. Expression of PEX26 restores peroxisomal protein import in the fibroblasts of an individual with PBD of CG8. This individual possesses a homozygous, inactivating pathogenic point mutation, Arg98Trp, in Pex26. Pex6 and Pex1 of the AAA ATPase family co-immunoprecipitate with Pex26. Epitope-tagged Pex6 and Pex1 are discernible as puncta in normal CHO-K1 cells, but not in PEX26-defective cells. PEX26 expression in ZP167 cells re-establishes colocalization of Pex6 and Pex1 with Pex26, in a Pex6-dependent manner. Thus, Pex26 recruits Pex6-Pex1 complexes to peroxisomes.