Evolution: The plasticity of plastids

Christopher J Howe; R Ellen R Nisbet; Adrian C Barbrook

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.025

Evolution: The plasticity of plastids

Curr Biol. 2023 Oct 23;33(20):R1058-R1060. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.025.

Authors

Christopher J Howe¹, R Ellen R Nisbet², Adrian C Barbrook³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK. Electronic address: ch26@cam.ac.uk.
² School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham LE12 5RD, UK. Electronic address: Ellen.Nisbet@nottingham.ac.uk.
³ Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK. Electronic address: acb18@cam.ac.uk.

PMID: 37875081
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.025

Abstract

Many chloroplast-bearing plants and algae lost their photosynthetic activity during evolution but retained their chloroplasts for other functions. A group of dinoflagellate algae apparently lost one half of their photosynthetic machinery but retained the other, providing a novel mechanism for light perception.

MeSH terms

Chloroplasts / metabolism
Dinoflagellida*
Evolution, Molecular
Photosynthesis
Plants
Plastids* / genetics
Plastids* / metabolism