Knockdown of the plastid-encoded acetyl-CoA carboxylase gene uncovers functions in metabolism and development.

De novo fatty acid biosynthesis in plants relies on a prokaryotic-type acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) that resides in the plastid compartment. The enzyme is composed of four subunits, one of which is encoded in the plastid genome, whereas the other three subunits are encoded by nuclear genes. The plastid gene (accD) encodes the β-carboxyltransferase subunit of ACCase and is essential for cell viability.

Chloroplast nucleoids are highly dynamic in ploidy, number, and structure during angiosperm leaf development.

Chloroplast nucleoids are large, compact nucleoprotein structures containing multiple copies of the plastid genome. Studies on structural and quantitative changes of plastid DNA (ptDNA) during leaf development are scarce and have produced controversial data. We have systematically investigated nucleoid dynamics and ptDNA quantities in the mesophyll of Arabidopsis, tobacco, sugar beet, and maize from the early post-meristematic stage until necrosis.

Chloroplast competition is controlled by lipid biosynthesis in evening primroses.

In most eukaryotes, organellar genomes are transmitted preferentially by the mother, but molecular mechanisms and evolutionary forces underlying this fundamental biological principle are far from understood. It is believed that biparental inheritance promotes competition between the cytoplasmic organelles and allows the spread of so-called selfish cytoplasmic elements. Those can be, for example, fast-replicating or aggressive chloroplasts (plastids) that are incompatible with the hybrid nuclear genome and therefore maladaptive.

GeSeq - versatile and accurate annotation of organelle genomes.

We have developed the web application GeSeq (https://chlorobox.mpimp-golm.mpg.

Spontaneous Chloroplast Mutants Mostly Occur by Replication Slippage and Show a Biased Pattern in the Plastome of Oenothera.

Spontaneous plastome mutants have been used as a research tool since the beginning of genetics. However, technical restrictions have severely limited their contributions to research in physiology and molecular biology. Here, we used full plastome sequencing to systematically characterize a collection of 51 spontaneous chloroplast mutants in Oenothera (evening primrose).