peroxisome

GO:0005777 · Membrane organelle · Membrane bounded organelle · Proposed

A small organelle enclosed by a single membrane, and found in most eukaryotic cells; it contains peroxidases and other enzymes involved in metabolic processes including free radical detoxification, lipid catabolism and biosynthesis, and hydrogen peroxide metabolism. [GO:0005777]

Has part: peroxisomal membrane (GO:0005778); peroxisomal matrix (GO:0005782)

UniProt location names: UniProt Consortium, CC BY 4.0. Reference label and route sources.

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Genes	Stoichiometry	Essential	Role
peroxisomal membrane	Lipid	part of	`GO:0005778`			ESSENTIAL	Lipid bilayer that bounds the peroxisome and encloses its matrix. `GO:0005778` Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the lipid bilayer surrounding a peroxisome. `DOI:10.1038/nrm3700` Smith and Aitchison 2013 review peroxisomes as single-membrane organelles with regulated membrane growth and division.

Taxonomic distribution

NCBITaxon:4932 Saccharomyces cerevisiae — COMMON: Saccharomyces cerevisiae uses peroxisomes for inducible fatty-acid beta-oxidation and has served as a model for peroxisome biogenesis. [DOI:10.1093/femsyr/fow038]

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:4932 Saccharomyces cerevisiae — Budding-yeast model for peroxisomal matrix import, membrane biogenesis and peroxisome inheritance. [DOI:10.1016/j.bbamcr.2015.09.008]

Functions

fatty acid beta-oxidation — Yeast peroxisomes compartmentalize fatty-acid beta-oxidation enzymes inside the peroxisomal matrix.
- DOI:10.1093/femsyr/fow038 Sibirny 2016 reviewed fatty-acid beta-oxidation as a major metabolic function of yeast peroxisomes.
peroxisomal matrix protein import — Peroxisomal import receptors and membrane docking machinery deliver nuclear-encoded proteins into the peroxisomal matrix.
- DOI:10.1038/nrm3700 Smith and Aitchison 2013 reviewed peroxisomal targeting and matrix-protein import through the peroxisomal membrane.
- DOI:10.1016/j.bbamcr.2015.09.008 Yuan, Veenhuis and van der Klei 2016 reviewed yeast peroxisome birth and protein import during organelle biogenesis.

Related pathways

fatty acid oxidation pathway (gomodel:YeastPathways_YEAST-FAO-PWY) — SITE_OF; target taxon NCBITaxon:559292.
This applies to the beta-oxidation segment in the budding-yeast exemplar. PathwayMech represents S. cerevisiae S288C, a narrower strain scope; the link does not place all activation or auxiliary reactions in peroxisomes.
Basis: Existing yeast peroxisomal beta-oxidation function reviewed against the organism-scoped fatty-acid oxidation record.. PathwayMech revision: d8ec2b69f7a4c615aecddff80498fef1e1fab0ce.
- DOI:10.1093/femsyr/fow038 Sibirny 2016 reviews fatty-acid beta-oxidation as a metabolic function of yeast peroxisomes. Abstract read through Europe PMC on 2026-10-05; localization follows the existing curated function, not a new strain experiment.

Mechanism graphs

Peroxisomal import builds the metabolic matrix (FUNCTION)

The peroxisomal membrane encloses a matrix, and peroxisomal targeting pathways move folded metabolic enzymes across that membrane into the matrix.

Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
peroxisomal membrane	bounds	peroxisomal matrix	`GO:0005782` GO defines the peroxisomal matrix as the volume contained within the membranes of a peroxisome.
peroxisomal targeting signal-bearing matrix proteins	are imported into	peroxisomal matrix	`DOI:10.1038/nrm3700` Smith and Aitchison 2013 reviewed peroxisomal targeting signal pathways for matrix-protein import.
peroxisomal matrix	compartmentalizes	fatty acid beta-oxidation	`DOI:10.1093/femsyr/fow038` Sibirny 2016 reviewed fatty-acid beta-oxidation as peroxisome-localized metabolism in yeasts.

Discussions

CURATION_TODO (OPEN): Resolve exact groundings for peroxisomal beta-oxidation enzymes and matrix-protein import peroxins. This first record grounds the peroxisomal membrane and matrix but leaves the PEX import machinery and fatty-acid beta-oxidation enzymes out of the component table until exact source-neutral family or complex identifiers can be verified.

Evidence

GO:0005777 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for peroxisome.
DOI:10.1038/nrm3700 Smith and Aitchison 2013, Peroxisomes take shape, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology.
DOI:10.1093/femsyr/fow038 Sibirny 2016, Yeast peroxisomes: structure, functions and biotechnological opportunities, FEMS Yeast Research.
DOI:10.1016/j.bbamcr.2015.09.008 Yuan, Veenhuis and van der Klei 2016, The birth of yeast peroxisomes, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Cell Research.

Curation history

2026-09-10T14:53:33Z claude · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-09-10T14:55:51Z claude · EXPANDED_RECORD — Added peroxisomal membrane and matrix parts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae scope, fatty-acid beta-oxidation and matrix-protein import functions, record evidence, a matrix-import graph, and a peroxin/metabolic-enzyme grounding TODO.
2026-09-11T01:33:42Z claude · ADDRESS_REVIEW — Addressed #384 by keeping GO:0005782 as a peroxisome part but removing the peroxisomal matrix from components because it is a lumenal volume rather than a molecular constituent.
2026-10-05T17:45:01Z codex · ADD_PATHWAY_LINK — Added an evidence-backed, organism-scoped PathwayMech link with a full source commit and explicit relation limits.

Source: data/structures/membrane_organelle/peroxisome.yaml