Fractionation of the proteins of plant microbodies

Abstract

1. Glyoxysomes and peroxisomes have been isolated from dark- and light-grown seedlings of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) by sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation. 2. Pumpkin microbodies and castor-bean (Ricinus communis) glyoxysomes may be fractionated, by a combination of osmotic shock and treatment with KCl, into three distinct groups of proteins: readily soluble (matrix enzymes), solubilized in the presence of KCl (membrane-bound enzymes) and relatively insoluble (membrane ‘ghost’ proteins). 3. Sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of ‘ghost’ fractions indicated that the membrane proteins were generally of low molecular weight; one gel band (mol.wt. 27000–28000) was common to all three microbodies. 4. Although there were major differences in the soluble protein components of pumpkin glyoxysomes and peroxisomes, electrophoresis of the pumpkin microbody ‘ghosts’ indicated that the membrane proteins were similar, four main components being common to each class of microbody (monomer molecular weights 42000, 34000, 27000 and 17000).