title: The Mechanism of Variegation in immutans Provides Insight into Chloroplast Biogenesis.
abstract: The immutans (im) variegation mutant of Arabidopsis has green and white-sectored leaves due to the absence of fully functional plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX), a plastoquinol oxidase in thylakoid membranes. PTOX appears to be at the nexus of a growing number of biochemical pathways in the plastid, including carotenoid biosynthesis, PSI cyclic electron flow, and chlororespiration. During the early steps of chloroplast biogenesis, PTOX serves as an alternate electron sink and is a prime determinant of the redox poise of the developing photosynthetic apparatus. Whereas a lack of PTOX causes the formation of photooxidized plastids in the white sectors of im, compensating mechanisms allow the green sectors to escape the effects of the mutation. This manuscript provides an update on PTOX, the mechanism of im variegation, and findings about im compensatory mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University Ames, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foudree
authors.forename: Aarthi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Putarjunan
authors.forename: Sekhar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kambakam
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.forename: Jenna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fussell
authors.forename: Gennady
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pogorelko
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rodermel