A considerable amount of plant metabolism occurs within compartments of plant cells known as chloroplasts. This chloroplast-localized metabolism includes photosynthesis, the metabolism that converts solar energy into chemical energy and reduces carbon dioxide to carbohydrate. Photosynthesis underpins agriculture and indeed life on earth because this process drives the growth, development, and reproduction of plants. Chloroplast development and function is driven by many varied signals and interactions between distinct subcellular compartments of plants, but significant gaps remain in our knowledge of this process. This project will include the study of a small gene family that makes redundant contributions to processes that promote chloroplast development and function. The project will use an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The expected outcome is not only an understanding of the full contribution of this gene family to chloroplast development and function, but also the discovery of the particular biochemical reactions supported by this gene family. We expect that these findings will contribute significantly to the understanding of chloroplast development and function and to the integration of these processes with the development of entire plants. Because of the central role of the chloroplast to the growth, development, and reproduction of plants, these findings are expected to contribute solutions for significant agronomic issues such as tolerance to particular environmental stresses and the production of biofuels. In addition to providing these significant conceptual advances for plant biology, the proposed work will contribute to the career development of the next generation of plant biologists by providing laboratory training for graduate students and postdoctoral research associates.
