Simultaneous defects in chloroplast development and division cause leaf variegation in Arabidopsis.

ABSTRACT: Chloroplast biogenesis is essential not only for photosynthesis but also for the synthesis of many metabolites critical for plant growth and human nutrition. Leaf variegation provides a powerful model for dissecting the process of chloroplast biogenesis, which encompasses both chloroplast development and division. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis thaliana leaf variegation mutant var2, defective in the thylakoid protease FtsH2, exhibits severe defects in chloroplast biogenesis. Confocal and ultrastructural analyses revealed that chloroplast development is delayed yet prolonged in the green sectors of var2, leading to increased cellular heterogeneity in chloroplast number and size. Strikingly, plastid-free cells were observed in white sectors, indicating impaired chloroplast division. Cons

SUBMITTER: Wu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12902270 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature