The complexity of gene expression in higher plants

Abstract

During light-induced chloroplast formation in higher plants the synthesis of several nuclear encoded plastid proteins is under the control of phytochrome. Light acting through the phytochrome system is able both to increase the transcription of certain nuclear genes and to decrease the transcription of others. It has been generally assumed that regulation by phytochrome alone would be sufficient to account for the observed light-dependent changes in nuclear gene expression during chloroplast formation. However, it has recently become evident that the light-dependent control of nuclear gene expression may be far more complex than originally expected. There are at least two other factors that in addition to phytochrome may affect nuclear gene expression: (1) changes in chromatin organization from an inactive to a transcriptionally active state, and (2) a plastid-derived factor that seems to be involved in the transcriptional control of some nuclear genes encoding plastid-specific proteins. Although the light-dependent control of transcription has been studied intensively for nuclear genes, much less is known about the light-dependent control of plastid gene expression. The P700 chlorophyll a protein of photosystem I is a major membrane protein whose massive accumulation is induced by light and whose genes have been located on the plastid DNA. In barley a high concentration of mRNA for the P700 chlorophyll a protein was detected within the total RNA as well as within the polysomal fraction of etioplasts and remained almost constant during greening. Based on these results it can be inferred that the accumulation of the P700 chlorophyll a protein during light-dependent chloroplast development in barley is not coupled to its transcript concentration but is controlled at a translational — or post-translational - level. The possible function of protochlorophyllide as photoreceptor in this light-dependent control of plastid gene expression is discussed.