The novel peroxin Pex37: the Pxmp2 family joins the peroxisomal fission machinery

Abstract

Peroxisomes can undergo fission during cell division, followed by their segregation between mother and daughter cells. Despite species-specific variations in the molecular composition of the fission machinery, the central mechanistic factors can be assigned to two groups: the Pex11 family and the dynamin-related protein family. In a recent study, Singh et al. describe the involvement of a member of the Pxmp2-related protein family in peroxisome fission: the novel peroxin Pex37.Comment on: https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.15123The division of eukaryotic cells is accompanied by the distribution of the different organelles between mother and daughter cells. In the case of peroxisomes, this segregation is preceded by division of the organelles. Despite species-specific variations in the molecular composition of the fission machinery, the central mechanistic factors can be assigned to two groups: the Pex11 family and the dynamin-related protein (DRP) family. In a recent study, Singh et al.[1] describe the involvement of a member of the Pxmp2-related protein family in peroxisome fission: the novel peroxin Pex37.Peroxisomal fission is an important cellular process, and its dysfunction leads to severe disorders in humans [2]. It is assumed that peroxisomes divide mainly during two scenarios: (a) either upon induction of peroxisomal proliferation via upregulation of the gene expression of peroxisomal biogenesis factors under peroxisome-inducing conditions, or (b) as part of a concerted mechanism of organelle distribution between mother and daughter cell, during cell budding. In the second scenario, the mother peroxisome is retained in the mother cell via its binding to the cortical endoplasmic reticulum (cER), mediated by Inp1 and Pex3, while the daughter peroxisome is transported to the daughter cell via the motor protein Myo2 bound to its peroxisomal adaptor Inp2. The current model for the Abbreviations DRP, dynamin-related protein; cER, cortical endoplasmic reticulum.

The peroxisome: an update on mysteries 3.0

“…Pex36 is a functional homolog of mammalian PEX16 which is involved in the ER-to-peroxisome traffic of PMPs (Farré et al 2017 ). Recently, a new peroxin, Hansenula polymorpha Pex37, a membrane protein and member of the Pxmp2-related protein family, has been reported to be required for peroxisome fission and segregation (Singh et al 2019 ; Platta and Erdmann 2019 ). A potential novel peroxin, PEX38, has been identified in Trypanosoma brucei as a binding partner of PEX19.…”