Chloroplast biogenesis and stress tolerance

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Plant and algae use sunlight and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to feed themselves and, indirectly, all other organisms in the food chain. They do this through photosynthesis, a process that occurs in specialized compartments within their cells called chloroplasts. The research proposed in this application will explore specific aspects of the internal organization of chloroplasts and how chloroplasts are assembled. One question concerns where the assembly occurs of the machinery that carryout the light-utilizing reactions of photosynthesis. Another question concerns how the chloroplast manages information-carrying molecules called messenger RNAs. We will explore specialized compartments in chloroplasts that closely resemble compartments in the cells of animals, including humans. The third question relates to how chloroplasts stimulate the synthesis of certain proteins in response to light. Chloroplasts make proteins with a molecular machine called the ribosome. We will explore the possibility that ribosomes are activated in response to light by the incorporation of a specific essential ribosome component, which in turn is removed in the dark, to inactivate them. To study these questions, we use a relatively simple model organism that is easy to grow and manipulate in the laboratory: the single-celled algae, Chlamydomonas. What we learn about the chloroplast of these algae cells, will probably help researchers develop more productive and stress resistant agricultural plants. The surprising similarities between chloroplasts and human cells are related to how cells cope with stress and regulate their genes. The chloroplast of Chlamydomonas is also a remarkably productive factory. It can produce hydrogen gas using photosynthesis. This is being explored as an alternative energy source. The chloroplast in Chlamydomonas cells can also efficiently produce vaccines, drugs, and other useful molecules, both safely and cheaply. These algae cells are telling us some important things about how all cells work and stimulating biotechnological developments in Canada.