Recent progress and perspective of peroxisome-targeted bioengineering in plant chassis

In plant chassis, peroxisomes, as key hubs of metabolism, play important roles in fatty acid β-oxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism and photorespiration. Fatty acid β-oxidation breaks down fatty acids through a multi-step enzymatic reaction, providing precursors for energy metabolism and phytohormone synthesis; ROS metabolism maintains redox balance through the antioxidant system and enhances plant resilience; and photorespiration relies on the synergistic action of peroxisomes with other organelles to optimize the efficiency of carbon and nitrogen utilization. Notably, peroxisomes possess a clear and simple targeting signaling system and a flexible abundance regulation mechanism, which provide unique advantages for their metabolic engineering. Recent studies have achieved effective control of fatty acid accumulation and promoted crop lipid yield by modulating the activity and transport mechanism of specific enzymes within the peroxisome. In addition, by reconfiguring the metabolic pathways in peroxisomes, the researchers successfully optimized the photorespiratory pathway, which significantly improved the energy utilization efficiency and enhanced the stress tolerance of crops. Meanwhile, the modification of ROS metabolism also showed the potential to enhance the antioxidant capacity and environmental adaptability of plants. These advances not only deepen our understanding of the peroxisome function, but also provide new strategies and technical means for crop breeding improvement and efficient secondary metabolite synthesis, which are expected to have broader application prospects in agricultural biotechnology and natural product biosynthesis in the future. • Peroxisomes play essential roles in plant development and stress resistance by mediating energy and phytohormone metabolism. • Engineered peroxisomes boosted crop oil production and stress resistance. • Photorespiration bypass was built in peroxisomes to decrease carbon loss. • Peroxisomes control harmful oxygen molecules to protect plants from disease. • These findings help design better crops and produce valuable plant chemicals.