Phenylketonuria (PKU) can be defined as a rare metabolic disorder caused by a deficiency in the production of the hepatic (liver) enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). PKU is the most serious form of a class of diseases referred to as hyperphenylalaninemia, all of which involve above normal (elevated) levels of phenylalanine in the blood.
All organisms carry out cellular respiration (except viruses) - it is the basic process which supports life as we know it. Viruses, on the other hand, are not always câ¦onsidered to be living, one of the reasons being that they do NOT carry out cellular respiration.
In order to carry on cellular respiration, plant cells need oxygen and a means of disposing of carbon dioxide (just as animal cells do). 1  Each part of the plant takes care of its own gas exchange needs. 2  Although plants have an elaborate liquid transport system, it does not participate in gas transport.