title: Plastid division in an evolutionary context.
abstract: Plastids are derived from free-living cyanobacteria that were engulfed by eukaryotic host cells through the process of endosymbiosis and, like their cyanobacterial ancestors, divide by binary fission. Over the last decade the continued identification and functional analysis of plastid division components, coupled with ever-increasing genomic resources, have yielded insights into the origins and evolution of the plastid division mechanism in higher plants. Here we review the current understanding of the evolution of the chloroplast division proteins and present a model of how the machinery has developed to execute plastid division in Arabidopsis.
authors: Centre for Organelle Research, Department of Mathematics and Natural Science, University of Stavanger, N-4036 Stavanger, Norway.
authors: Astrid E
authors: AE
authors: Tveitaskog
authors: Jodi
authors: J
authors: Maple
authors: Simon G
authors: SG
authors: Møller
mesh_terms: D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000502:physiology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018087:Plastids / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins