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RNA Splicing in the Chloroplast

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The Molecular Biology of Chloroplasts and Mitochondria in Chlamydomonas

Part of the book series: Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration ((AIPH,volume 7))

Summary

The chloroplast genomes of Chlamydomonas spp. contain introns that belong to the two major classes found in organelles: group I and group II. Some of the members of both classes are ribozymes capable of self-splicing in vitro and, indeed, most of the group I introns studied in Chlamydomonas spp. are autocatalyic. The biochemical characterization of these introns suggests that, in vivo, their splicing must be dependent on protein factors. It is particularly interesting in this respect that light regulates the splicing of the four group I introns in the psbA gene of C. reinhardtii. The two group II introns of the psaA gene are split into two or more pieces which are transcribed separately from different chloroplast loci. The mature psaA RNA is assembled from the separate precursors in two steps of intermolecular trans-splicing. There are many nuclear mutants defective in psaA mRNA maturation, which identify a large number of protein factors that are required, directly or indirectly, for trans-splicing.

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Abbreviations

LSU:

large subunit ribosomal RNA

ORF:

open reading frame

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78713, USA

    David L. Herrin & Tai-Chih Kuo

  2. Department of Molecular Biology and Department of Plant Biology, University of Geneva, Sciences II, 30 quai E. Ansermet, CH-1211, Genève 4, Switzerland

    Michel Goldschmidt-Clermont

Authors
  1. David L. Herrin
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  2. Tai-Chih Kuo
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  3. Michel Goldschmidt-Clermont
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Molecular Biology and Plant Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    J. -D. Rochaix  & M. Goldschmidt-Clermont  & 

  2. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA

    S. Merchant

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© 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Herrin, D.L., Kuo, TC., Goldschmidt-Clermont, M. (1998). RNA Splicing in the Chloroplast. In: Rochaix, J.D., Goldschmidt-Clermont, M., Merchant, S. (eds) The Molecular Biology of Chloroplasts and Mitochondria in Chlamydomonas. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48204-5_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48204-5_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-5174-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-306-48204-5

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