Toc, Tic, Tat et al.: structure and function of protein transport machineries in chloroplasts

• Published in: Journal of plant physiology 2006-02, Vol.163 (3), p.333-347
• Main Authors: Gutensohn, Michael, Fan, Enguo, Frielingsdorf, Stefan, Hanner, Peter, Hou, Bo, Hust, Bianca, Klösgen, Ralf Bernd
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Arabidopsis Proteins - physiology; Arabidopsis thaliana; biochemical pathways; Chloroplast; chloroplasts; Chloroplasts - metabolism; Electron Transport Complex III - metabolism; Electron Transport Complex III - physiology; Envelope membranes; Evolution, Molecular; Iron-Sulfur Proteins - metabolism; Iron-Sulfur Proteins - physiology; literature reviews; membrane proteins; Membrane Transport Proteins - genetics; Membrane Transport Proteins - physiology; plant biochemistry; plant proteins; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plant Proteins - physiology; Plants - metabolism; protein transport; Protein Transport - physiology; Protein transport pathways; Substrate Specificity; Thylakoid membrane; thylakoids; Thylakoids - metabolism
• ISSN: 0176-1617; 1618-1328
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2005.11.009

The chloroplast is an organelle of prokaryotic origin that is situated in an eukaryotic cellular environment. As a result of this formerly endosymbiotic situation, the chloroplast houses a unique set of protein transport machineries. Among those are evolutionarily young transport pathways which are responsible for the import of the nuclear-encoded proteins into the organelle as well as ancient pathways operating in the ‘export’ of proteins from the stroma (the former cyanobacterial cytosol) across the thylakoid membrane into the thylakoid lumen. In this review, we have tried to address the main features of these various transport pathways.