Quantitative analysis of the mitochondrial and plastid proteomes of the moss Physcomitrella patens reveals protein macrocompartmentation and microcompartmentation.

Extant eukaryotes are highly compartmentalized and have integrated endosymbionts as organelles, namely mitochondria and plastids in plants. During evolution, organellar proteomes are modified by gene gain and loss, by gene subfunctionalization and neofunctionalization, and by changes in protein targeting. To date, proteomics data for plastids and mitochondria are available for only a few plant model species, and evolutionary analyses of high-throughput data are scarce.

Simultaneous isolation of pure and intact chloroplasts and mitochondria from moss as the basis for sub-cellular proteomics.

The moss Physcomitrella patens is increasingly being used as a model for plant systems biology studies. While genomic and transcriptomic resources are in place, tools and experimental conditions for proteomic studies need to be developed. In the present study we describe a rapid and efficient protocol for the simultaneous isolation of chloroplasts and mitochondria from moss protonema.