REGULATION OF CHLOROPLAST GENE-EXPRESSION

Plastid gene expression during plant growth and development requires s everal independent processes. Although the plastid contains all the ba sic components for gene expression, it must rely on the import of nucl ear-encoded proteins to carry out plastid biogenesis and photosynthesi s. By understanding the individual roles of transcription, mRNA proces sing, mRNA stability, and mRNA translation in plastids, and how they d epend on the nuclear genome, general trends can be identified in the c omplex mechanisms of chloroplast gene expression.