Plastids are semiautonomous organelles with a wide structural and functional diversity and unique biochemical pathways. As such, they are able to transcribe and translate the information present in their own genome but are strongly dependent on imported proteins that are encoded in the nuclear genome and translated in the cytoplasm. Plastids are present in every plant cell, with very few exceptions (such as the highly specialized male sexual cells), and their structural and functional diversity reflects their role in different cell types. According to their developmental stage, we distinguish them as juvenile (proplastids), differentiating, mature, and senescent. Meristematic cells contain proplastids, which ensure the continuity of plastids from generation to generation and are capable of considerable structural and metabolic plasticity to develop into various types of plastids that remain interconvertible. When leaves are grown in darkness, proplastids differentiate into etioplasts, which can be converted into chloroplasts under illumination.The metabolism of these various types of plastids is linked to the function of the tissue in which they are found. For instance, whereas the chief function of illuminated leaves is the assimilation of CO 2 by chloroplasts, root plastids are mainly involved in the assimilation of inorganic nitrogen. Amyloplasts, which contain large starch grains, behave as storage reservoirs in stems, roots, and tubers. Chromoplasts synthesize large amounts of carotenoids and are present in petals, fruits, and even roots. The interconversions between these different plastids are accompanied by dramatic changes, including the development or regression of internal membrane systems (e.g. thylakoids and prolamellar bodies) and the acquisition of specific enzymatic equipment reflecting specialized metabolism. However, at all stages of these transformations, the two limiting envelope membranes remain apparently unchanged.Located at the interface between plastids and the surrounding cytosol, the envelope is a key structure for the integration of plastid metabolism within the cell. Because plastids are semiautonomous organelles, a tight coordination between plastidial development and cell differentiation is required. Envelope membranes are an essential checkpoint between the expression of plastidial and nuclear genomes, for example, as the site for the specific recognition and transport of the precursor plastid proteins synthesized on cytosolic ribosomes. Plastid membranes contain an astonishing variety of specific lipids, including polar lipids (e.g. galactolipids, phospholipids, and SLs), pigments (e.g. carotenoids and chlorophylls), and prenylquinones (e.g. plastoquinone and tocopherols). This diversity requires complex metabolic pathways that are closely associated with envelope membranes.A unique biochemical machinery (Fig. 1) is present in envelope membranes and reflects the stage of development of the plastid and the specific metabolic requirements of the various tissues.
PLASTID ENVELOPE ME...
