| Popis: |
Photosynthesis, the use of light energy to drive carbon fixation and the synthesis of organic compounds, is a central process in the biosphere. In eukaryotes, photosynthesis takes place in a specialized organelle, the chloroplast, which has its own genetic system. The chloroplast genome contains only a small part of the genes required for photosynthesis; the others are encoded in the nuclear genome. As a consequence, the biogenesis of the photosynthetic machinery requires the coordinate expression of the two genomes. The genetics of photosynthesis addresses, first of all, the structural genes for the apoproteins of macromolecular complexes and enzymes that are required in the process. The genetic analysis also deals with genes for the synthesis of pigments and other cofactors, for the import of polypeptides in the chloroplast and targeting within the organelle, for the assembly and repair of the complexes, for the adaptation of photosynthesis to environmental conditions, and for many other facets. The genetics of photosynthesis also reveals loci required for the maintenance of the plastid, for the expression of the plastid genome, and for the regulation of plastid development. |
