Plant peroxisomes: protein import, dynamics and metabolite transport

Peroxisomes are small organelles that play pivotal roles in a variety of metabolic processes in eukaryotic cells. In plants, peroxisomes are essential for viability and influence growth and development due to their contributions to processes such as fatty acid β–oxidation, the glyoxylate cycle, photorespiration, phytohormone biosynthesis, and others. In this chapter, we discuss several aspects of plant peroxisome biology, giving an overview of peroxisome function before elaborating on the current knowledge of peroxisome biogenesis, division, and protein import and degradation. Since plant peroxisomes co-operate extensively with other organelles, metabolite exchange and transporters that facilitate the exchange are also discussed. We conclude by summarizing future questions that need to be resolved in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of plant peroxisome biology.