Manipulation of Gene Expression in the Chloroplast: Control of mRNA Stability and Transcription Termination

Abstract

Chloroplasts are the site of photosynthesis and of other essential biosynthetic activities in plant cells. Chloroplasts are semi-autonomous organelles, since they contain their own genomes and protein biosynthetic machinery, but depend on the coordinate expression of nuclear genes to assemble macromolecular complexes. The bioeingineering of plants requires manipulation of chloroplast gene expression, and thus a knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that modulate mRNA and protein production. In this proposal the heterotrophic green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been used as a model system to understand the control and interrelationships between transcription termination, mRNA 3' end processing and mRNA stability in chloroplasts. Chlamydomonas is a unique and ideal system in which to address these issues, because the chloroplast can be easily manipulated by genetic transformation techniques. This research uncovered new and important information on chloroplast mRNA 3' end formation and mRNA stability. In particular, the 3' untranslated regions of chloroplast mRNAs were shown not to be efficient transcription terminators. The endonucleolytic site in the 3' untranslated region was characterized by site directed mutagensis and the role of several 3' untranslated regions in modulating RNA stability and translation has been studied. This information will allow us to experimentally manipulate the expression of chloroplast genes in vivo by post-transcriptional mechanisms, and should be widely applicable to other higher plant systems.