Isolation of microbodies from plant tissues

Specialized microbodies have previously been isolated and characterized from fatty seedling tissues (glyoxysomes) and leaves (leaf peroxisomes). We have now examined 11 other plant tissues, including tubers, fruits, roots, shoots, and petals, and find that all contain particulate catalase, a distinctive common enzyme component of microbodies. On linear sucrose gradients the catalase activity peaks sharply at a higher equilibrium density (1.20 to 1.25 gram per cm(3) in the various tissues) than the mitochondria (1.17 to 1.20). Only small amounts of protein are recovered in the fractions containing catalase, although a definite band is visible in preparations from some tissues, e.g., potato. As in the preparations from castor bean endosperm and spinach leaves for which comparable data are provided, the distribution of glycolate oxidase and uricase follows closely that of catalase on the gradients. The preparations from potato lack glyoxylate reductase and the transaminases, typical enzymes of leaf peroxisomes, and the distinctive enzymes of glyoxysomes are missing. Nonspecialized microbodies with limited enzyme composition can thus be isolated from a variety of plant tissues.