Plastids: diving into their diversity, their functions, and their role in plant development

Abstract

Plastids are a group of essential, heterogenous semiautonomous organelles characteristic of plants that perform photosynthesis and a diversity of metabolic pathways that impact growth and development. Plastids are remarkably dynamic and can interconvert in response to specific developmental and environmental cues functioning as central metabolic hub in plant cells. By far the best studied plastid is the chloroplast, but in recent years the combination of modern techniques and genetic analyses has expanded our current understanding of plastid morphological and functional diversity in both model and non-model plants. These studies have provided evidence of an unexpected diversity of plastid subtypes with specific characteristics. In this review we describe recent findings that provide insights into the characteristics of these specialized plastids and their functions. We concentrate on the emerging evidence that supports the model that signals derived from particular plastid types play pivotal roles in plant development, environmental, and defense responses. Furthermore, we provide examples of how new technologies are illuminating the functions of these specialized plastids and the overall complexity of their differentiation processes. Finally, we discuss future research directions such as the use of ectopic plastid differentiation as a valuable tool to characterize factors involved in plastid differentiation. Collectively, we highlight important advances in the field that can also impact future agricultural and biotechnological improvement in plants.

Climate change increases net CO 2 assimilation in the leaves of strawberry, but not yield

“…The chloroplasts in the cells of the leaf harvest light from the sun and use the energy to produce sugars and other substance needed for growth (Häder, 2022;Oliver et al, 2023;Sierra et al, 2023). The basic structure of the chloroplast is similar across species of higher plants (Figure 2; Kirchhoff, 2019).…”

Complete chloroplast genome of Petrocosmea qinlingensis (Gesneriaceae), a protected wild plant in the Qinling mountains

“…Chloroplasts are the primary site for photosynthesis in green plants, converting light energy into chemical energy (Sierra et al. 2023 ). They serve as the receivers of light and are one of the organelles that retain the genome within plant cells.…”

Complete Plastid Genome Sequences of Three Tropical African Beilschmiediineae Trees (Lauraceae: Crytocaryeae)

“…Chloroplasts (cp) are semi-autonomous organelles necessary for photosynthesis and various metabolic pathways essential for growth and development in plants [11]. The unique genetic characteristics of plant cp are determined by their haploid, non-recombination, and highly conserved characters [12,13].…”