Src Homology 3 domain of eumetazoan Peroxisomal biogenesis factor 13
PEX13 is a peroxin and is required for protein import into the peroxisomal matrix and membrane. It is an integral membrane protein that is essential for the localization of PEX14 and the import of proteins containing the peroxisome matrix targeting signals, PTS1 and PTS2. Mutations of the PEX13 gene in humans lead to a wide range of peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBDs), the most severe of which is known as Zellweger syndrome (ZS), a severe multisystem disorder characterized by hypotonia, psychomotor retardation, and neuronal migration defects. PEX13 contains two transmembrane regions and a C-terminal SH3 domain. SH3 domains are protein interaction domains that bind to proline-rich ligands with moderate affinity and selectivity, preferentially to PxxP motifs. They play versatile and diverse roles in the cell including the regulation of enzymes, changing the subcellular localization of signaling pathway components, and mediating the formation of multiprotein complex assemblies.