Proliferation and partitioning of plastids during pollen and stomatal development in Arabidopsis

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K05831
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 38030:Applied biochemistry-related
• Research Institution: Sophia University
• Principal Investigator: Fujiwara Makoto 上智大学, 理工学部, 教授 (90332345)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 伊藤 竜一 琉球大学, 理学部, 准教授 (50322681)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 色素体 / シロイヌナズナ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Plastids are double membrane-bound organelles and proliferate by division in plant cells. The processes of plastid multiplication and its inheritance to two daughter cells during cell division are essential for plant survival. In this study, we investigated the proliferation and partitioning of plastids during pollen and stomatal development in Arabidopsis. Our observations indicated that, when the plastid division apparatus was genetically disrupted, proplatids in pollen mother cells could proliferate through the formation of grape-like plastid aggregations as a fail-safe pathway. On the other hand, plastids in guard mother cells, which were either chloroplasts or non-green plastids under the disruption of the plastid division apparatus, were also shown to be inherited to two daughter guard cells without exception.

Free Research Field

植物分子生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

葉緑体に代表される色素体（プラスチド）は植物特有のオルガネラである。色素体は独自のDNAを持ち、de novoで合成することができない。そのため色素体が植物組織の形成・発達時に分裂増殖し、細胞分裂時に両娘細胞へ分配されることは、植物の生存に必須である。本研究では、モデル植物シロイヌナズナの花粉と気孔の発生過程に注目して、主に色素体分裂異常変異体を用い細胞増殖時の色素体増殖・分配状況を調べた。その結果、色素体はその分裂装置が破壊されても増殖・分配を可能にするフェイルセーフシステムを有しており、その一例は花粉母細胞で見られた「ブドウ様の色素体凝集構造の形成」であることが示唆された。