[Possible participation of mitochondria in formation of peroxisomes in yeasts]

The origin of peroxisomes in yeast organisms is still unknown. These organelles are believed to be formed, similar to animal cells, from the endoplasmatic reticulum. However, this has not been confirmed directly. Peroxisomes are often found to be in contact with channels of the endoplasmatic reticulum and, in our experiments, with mitochondria of yeast organisms, especially those which utilize oleic acid, n-alkanes and methanol as a sole source of carbon. In Rhodotorula, peroxisomes are characterized by the same "bean" configuration and paired arrangement imitating "copulation" as mitocondria. In Kloeckera boidinii, a mitochondrion was transformed into a peroxisome and cristae were lost. A part of the peroxisome still possessed a double membrane typical of mitochondria while another part had a single membrane characteristic of peroxisomes. Further studies are being carried out in order to find if this is a general relationship or one of possibilities.