Voici les éléments 1 - 5 sur 5
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    The function and diversity of plastid protein import pathways: A multilane GTPase highway into plastids
    (2006) ;
    Schnell, Danny
    The photosynthetic chloroplast is the hallmark organelle of green plants. During the endosymbiotic evolution of chloroplasts, the vast majority of genes from the original cyanobacterial endosymbiont were transferred to the host cell nucleus. Chloroplast biogenesis therefore requires the import of nucleus-encoded proteins from their site of synthesis in the cytosol. The majority of proteins are imported by the activity of Toc and Tic complexes located within the chloroplast envelope. In addition to chloroplasts, plants have evolved additional, non-photosynthetic plastid types that are essential components of all cells. Recent studies indicate that the biogenesis of various plastid types relies on distinct but homologous Toc-Tic import pathways that have specialized in the import of specific classes of substrates. These different import pathways appear to be necessary to balance the essential physiological role of plastids in cellular metabolism with the demands of cellular differentiation and plant development.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    AtToc90, a new GTP-binding component of the Arabidopsis chloroplast protein import machinery
    (2004)
    Hiltbrunner, Andreas
    ;
    Grunig, Kathrin
    ;
    Alvarez-Huerta, Mayte
    ;
    Infanger, Sibylle
    ;
    Bauer, Jörg
    ;
    AtToc159 is a GTP-binding chloroplast protein import receptor. In vivo, atToc159 is required for massive accumulation of photosynthetic proteins during chloroplast biogenesis. Yet, in mutants lacking atToc159 photosynthetic proteins still accumulate, but at strongly reduced levels whereas non-photosynthetic proteins are imported normally: This suggests a role for the homologues of atToc159 (atToc132, - 120 and - 90). Here, we show that atToc90 supports accumulation of photosynthetic proteins in plastids, but is not required for import of several constitutive proteins. Part of atToc90 associates with the chloroplast surface in vivo and with the Toc-complex core components (atToc75 and atToc33) in vitro suggesting a function in chloroplast protein import similar to that of atToc159. As both proteins specifically contribute to the accumulation of photosynthetic proteins in chloroplasts they may be components of the same import pathway.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Sorting activities in plant cells
    Eucaryotic cells (plants, animals, fungi, etc.) are subdivided in membrane-bound compartments (organelles), such as the nucleus, mitochondria, chloroplasts, vacuoles, etc. Most organellar proteins are encoded in the nucleus and synthesized in the cytoplasm. Proper sorting of proteins is required to establish and maintain organellar identity. Molecular machineries at the organelle surfaces specifically recognize targeting sequences of their cognate proteins and mediate their translocation across membranes. Proteins destined for the vacuoles are first translocated across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, packaged into vesicles, transported to the Golgi, where they are sorted into specific vesicles and subsequently carried to the different types of vacuoles. Though plant cells share many features with animal and yeast cells, chloroplasts and distinct lytic and storage vacuoles are unique to plants. Here, we discuss import of proteins into the chloroplast as well as selective sorting of proteins to either the lytic or the storage vacuole.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Protein translocon at the Arabidopsis outer chloroplast membrane
    (2001)
    Hiltbrunner, Andreas
    ;
    Bauer, Jörg
    ;
    Alvarez-Huerta, Mayte
    ;
    Chloroplasts are organelles essential for the photoautotrophic growth of plants. Their biogenesis from undifferentiated proplastids is triggered by light and requires the import of hundreds of different precursor proteins from the cytoplasm. Cleavable N-terminal transit sequences target the precursors to the chloroplast where translocon complexes at the outer (Toc complex) and inner (Tic complex) envelope membranes enable their import. In pea, the Toc complex is trimeric consisting of two surface-exposed GTP-binding proteins (Toc159 and Toc34) involved in precursor recognition and Toc75 forming an aequeous protein-conducting channel. Completion of the Arabidopsis genome has revealed an unexpected complexity of predicted components of the Toc complex in this plant model organism: four genes encode homologs of Toc159, two encode homologs of Toc34, but only one encodes a likely functional homolog of Toc75. The availability of the genomic sequence data and powerful molecular genetic techniques in Arabidopsis set the stage to unravel the mechanisms of chloroplast protein import in unprecedented depth.
  • Publication
    Métadonnées seulement
    Identification of proteins associated with plastoglobules isolated from pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplasts
    (1999) ;
    Schnell, Danny
    ;
    Blobel, Gunter
    Plastoglobules are conspicuous lipid-containing structures in the chloroplast stroma and are thought to serve as lipid reservoirs for thylakoid membranes. Plastoglobules also contain low levels of proteins. We have purified plastoglobules from a pea chloroplast membrane fraction. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis of the purified plastoglobules revealed more than a dozen distinct polypeptides that we propose to term plastoglobulins. For one of the proteins, termed plastoglobulin 1 (PG1), we have obtained partial N-terminal and internal protein sequences. The amino acid sequence, deduced from cDNA, encoded a precursor protein of a calculated mass of 38,491 Da which contained a 48-residue-long N-terminal signal sequence. Pre-PG1 obtained by coupled in-vitro transcription/translation was imported into pea chloroplasts, its signal sequence was cleaved and mature PG1 was assembled into plastoglobules. Homology searches of the data bases revealed similarity of PG1 to the plastoglobule-associated protein of Capsicum annuum, the carotenoid-associated protein of Cucumis sativus and to a protein of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp., indicating that PG1 is a novel member of an ancient protein family. Immunoelectron microscopy using PG1-specific antibodies indicated that PG1 is present in multiple copies on the surface of plastoglobules.