Purification of yeast peroxisomes

Methods Mol Biol. 2006:313:21-6. doi: 10.1385/1-59259-958-3:021.

Abstract

Peroxisomes are ubiquitous subcellular organelles of eukaryotic cells. As with all organelles, peroxisomes can be purified from cell lysates using a combination of differential centrifugation and density gradient centrifugation. Here, we describe a method for purifying peroxisomes from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The method involves gentle lysis of yeast spheroplasts, followed by differential centrifugation to obtain a crude organelle pellet enriched for peroxisomes and mitochondria. To separate peroxisomes from mitochondria, the organelle pellet is resuspended and spun through a sucrose density gradient. Peroxisomes purified in this way can be used to explore whether a protein of interest might be associated with the organelle.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Fractionation / methods*
  • Centrifugation, Density Gradient
  • Indicators and Reagents
  • Mitochondria / enzymology
  • Mycology / methods
  • Peroxisomes / chemistry*
  • Peroxisomes / enzymology
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / chemistry*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / enzymology
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / ultrastructure

Substances

  • Indicators and Reagents