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Protein Import Into Chloroplasts: Who, When, and How?

  • Chapter
The Structure and Function of Plastids

Part of the book series: Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration ((AIPH,volume 23))

Chloroplasts are the characteristic organelles of photosynthetic algae and plants. They originated from a cyanobac terial ancestor that was engulfed by a eukaryotic host cell and subsequently transformed into an organelle. As a result of this heritage, chloroplasts are surrounded by a double membrane, the outer and inner envelope. Plastid proteins that are encoded by the nucleus and translated on cytosolic ribosomes must be transported into the organelle across both of these membranes. This is achieved by two hetero-oligomeric protein complexes within the outer and inner envelope, the Toc and the Tic translocons. Both translocons are composed of a small number of proteins that were inherited from the cyanobacterial ancestor, as well as additional proteins.

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  1. Department of Biology, Botanisches Institut der LMU München, Menzinger Straße 67, D-80638, München, Germany

    Ute C. Vothknecht & Jürgen Soll

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  1. Ute C. Vothknecht
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  2. Jürgen Soll
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  1. University of Wisconsin, 54901, Oshkosh, WI, USA

    Robert R. Wise

  2. Arizona State University, 85287, Tempe, AZ, USA

    J. Kenneth Hoober Ph.D

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Vothknecht, U.C., Soll, J. (2007). Protein Import Into Chloroplasts: Who, When, and How?. In: Wise, R.R., Hoober, J.K. (eds) The Structure and Function of Plastids. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 23. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4061-0_3

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