title: Protein import into chloroplasts.
abstract: Chloroplasts have evolved an elaborate system of membrane and soluble subcompartments to organize and regulate photosynthesis and essential aspects of amino acid and lipid metabolism. The biogenesis and maintenance of organellar architecture rely on protein subunits encoded by both nuclear and plastid genomes. Import of nuclear-encoded proteins is mediated by interactions between the intrinsic N-terminal transit sequence of the nuclear-encoded preprotein and a common import machinery at the chloroplast envelope. Recent investigations have shown that there are two unique membrane-bound translocation systems, in the outer and inner envelope membranes, which physically associate during import to transport preproteins from the cytoplasm to the internal stromal compartment. This review discusses current understanding of these translocation systems and models for the way in which they might function.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biological Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 101 Warren Street, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schnell
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000502:physiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; C116000:Tic20 protein, Pisum sativum; C116001:Tic22 protein, Pisum sativum; C112475:Toc34 protein, plant