Nucleoid structure and function in plastids

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This project will answer important questions about how genes in plant chloroplasts are organized and how that organization impacts function. Because chloroplasts are essential for the process of photosynthesis, which is necessary for life on Earth, this work will have widespread impact. This research will provide high-level training opportunities for undergraduate students, graduate students and postdocs. In addition, the project will support an extensive outreach program at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History to provide middle school students and the general public with an opportunity to learn about genes, their functions, and the importance of genes for life on Earth.Not all genes within a eukaryotic cell such as a plant or animal cell are present in the nucleus. Mitochondria and plastids (like chloroplasts) are cellular organelles that contain their own DNA. The genomes of these organelles are remnants of ancient bacteria that once lived symbiotically within their host eukaryotic cells. This incorporation led to the modification of organellar genomes that subsequently impacted their structural organization and function. Whereas nuclear genome organization is the subject of intensive research, important structural aspects of the organellar genomes and their functions remain much less understood. This project will apply genomic approaches that have been traditionally used for nuclear genomes to determine how plastid DNA is structurally organized and packaged. Additional goals will be to investigate what role DNA packaging plays in controlling how plastid genes work. The results will improve our understanding of plastid biology and photosynthesis. More broadly, it will reveal general rules governing the structure and function of genomes and may provide clues about how genome function could be enhanced by engineering DNA packaging.This award was jointly funded by the Genetic Mechanisms Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences and by the Plant Genome Research Program in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems, both in the Directorate for Biological Sciences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.