Peroxisomes: Methods for Preparation

Alfred Völkl, University of Heidelberg, Germany
H Dariush Fahimi, University of Heidelberg, Germany

Published online: September 2005

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0003962

Peroxisomes are ubiquitous cell organelles that are particularly enriched in mammalian liver and kidney. They contain oxidases producing hydrogen peroxide and catalase, which degrades it. Their main functions are in the metabolism of complex lipids such as bile acids, leucotrienes and prostaglandins. Peroxisomes can be isolated by classical density gradient centrifugation methods and by more recent immunochemical techniques.

Keywords: density gradient centrifugation; immunomagnetic sorting; immune free flow electrophoresis

Figure 1. Flow chart of the procedure used for subfractionating tissue and cell homogenates and isolating highly (>98%) purified peroxisomes. Note that as alternatives to density gradient centrifugation, the stippled fractions also provide the basis for the purification of peroxisomes by immunomagnetic sorting and immune FFE. The values given for the integrated relative centrifugal force (IRCF) imply that the g force in this case is not constant during the centrifugation procedure, due to acceleration and deceleration times. In ultracentrifuges with an advanced design (e.g. Beckman), the IRCF values can be exactly preset on the instrument panel.
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Cell Compartments and Cellular Organelles | Techniques in Cell Biology
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Article Title: Peroxisomes: Methods for Preparation
 
How to Cite close
Völkl, Alfred, and Fahimi, H Dariush(Sep 2005) Peroxisomes: Methods for Preparation. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0003962]