Control Mechanisms of Plastid Gene Expression

Plastid DNAs of higher plants contain approximately 150 genes that encode RNAs and proteins for genetic and photosynthetic functions of the organelle. Results published in the last few years illustrate that the spatial and temporal expression of these plastid genes is regulated, in part, at the transcriptional level, but that developmentally controlled changes in mRNA stability, translational activity, and protein phosphorylation also have an important role in the control of plastid functions. This comprehensive review summarizes and discusses the mechanisms by which regulation of gene expression is exerted at the transcriptional and post‐transcriptional levels. It provides an overview of our current knowledge, but also emphasizes areas that are controversial and in which information on regulatory mechanisms is still incomplete.