Chloroplasts around the plant cell cycle

• Published in: Current opinion in plant biology 2016-12, Vol.34, p.107-113
• Main Authors: Pedroza-Garcia, José-Antonio, Domenichini, Séverine, Bergounioux, Catherine, Benhamed, Moussa, Raynaud, Cécile
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cell Cycle - genetics; Cell Cycle - physiology; Chloroplasts - metabolism; Life Sciences; Plant Cells - metabolism; Plant Cells - physiology; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plastids - genetics; Symbiosis - genetics; Symbiosis - physiology
• ISSN: 1369-5266; 1879-0356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.10.009

•Synchronization of host and symbiont cell cycle has been a key step for evolution of plastids.•Plastid division is cell cycle-regulated in algae and probably in plants.•Retrograde signalling represents a new pathway regulating cell proliferation in plants. Plastids arose from an endosymbiosis between a host cell and free-living bacteria. One key step during this evolutionary process has been the establishment of coordinated cell and symbiont division to allow the maintenance of organelles during proliferation of the host. However, surprisingly little is known about the underlying mechanisms. In addition, due to their central role in the cell's energetic metabolism and to their sensitivity to various environmental cues such as light or temperature, plastids are ideally fitted to be the source of signals allowing plants to adapt their development according to external conditions. Consistently, there is accumulating evidence that plastid-derived signals can impinge on cell cycle regulation. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the dialogue between chloroplasts and the nucleus in the context of the cell cycle.