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Photosynthetic development in any plant requires the intracellular co-ordination of chloroplast and nuclear gene expression programs. In this report, we investigate the role of a nuclear gene in photosynthetic development by examining C4 photosynthetic differentiation in a yellow mutant of maize (Zea mays L.). The plastids undifferentiated (pun) mutation disrupts plastid biogenesis in both bundle sheath and mesophyll cells, at an early developmental stage and in a light-independent manner. Chloroplast thylakoids are disrupted in the mutant and both membrane-associated and soluble chloroplast-encoded proteins accumulate at much reduced levels. The observed plastid morphology is consistent with a general defect in chloroplast biogenesis that is most likely exerted at the post-translational level. Despite aberrant chloroplast development, nuclear photosynthetic genes are expressed normally in pun mutants. Thus, neither functional chloroplasts nor the Pun gene product are required to establish nuclear photosynthetic gene expression patterns in maize.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Planta

Publication Date

08/2001

Volume

213

Pages

647 - 658

Keywords

Cell Nucleus, DNA Transposable Elements, Darkness, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Light, Microscopy, Electron, Mutation, Phenotype, Photosynthesis, Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins, Pigments, Biological, Plant Leaves, Plastids, Thylakoids, Zea mays