The Chloroplast: Basics and Applications (Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration Book 31)

The world population is expected to increase to 9 billion by the year 2050 which will generate food and fuel shortages. Since it will be difficult to increase the land area under cultivation without serious environmental consequences, higher productivity for biomass is required. Improvement in photosynthetic efficiency would require increased knowledge and deeper understanding of :(a) the biosynthesis of photosynthetic membrane components such as hemes, chlorophylls, carotenoids, quinones, and lipids; (b) photosynthetic membrane apoprotein biosynthesis; (c) the biosynthesis and regulation of the assembly of pigment-apoprotein complexes; and (d) the complexities of carbon sensing, biosynthesis and allocation. These goals may be accomplished by bioengineering of chloroplasts with higher photosynthetic efficiency and superior adaptation to various stresses and/or alteration of the kinetic properties of the CO 2 -assimilating enzyme, Rubisco. Advances towards this goal are addressed in this volume that will foster cooperation between biochemists and molecular biologists, scientists involved in photosynthesis research and biotechnologists involved in plant and plastid genomics and transformation. We envision future research to focus attention on "Chloroplast Bioengineering" as an integrated novel field of research. This book is designed for graduate students and researchers in chlorophyll metabolism, integrative plant biology, plant physiology, plant biochemistry, plant molecular biology, biotechnology, bioenergy and biofuels. Front Matter....Pages i-xxxix Chapter 1 Investigation of Possible Relationships Between the Chlorophyll Biosynthetic Pathway, the Assembly of Chlorophyll–Protein Complexes and Photosynthetic Efficiency....Pages 1-24 Chapter 2 Evidence for Various 4-Vinyl Reductase Activities in Higher Plants....Pages 25-38 Chapter 3 Control of the Metabolic Flow in Tetrapyrrole Biosynthesis: Regulation of Expression and Activity of Enzymes in the Mg Branch of Tetrapyrrole Biosynthesis....Pages 39-54 Chapter 4 Regulation and Functions of the Chlorophyll Cycle....Pages 55-78 Chapter 5 Magnesium Chelatase....Pages 79-88 Chapter 6 The Enigmatic Chlorophyll a Molecule in the Cytochrome b 6 f Complex....Pages 89-94 Chapter 7 The Non-mevalonate DOXP/MEP (Deoxyxylulose 5-Phosphate/Methylerythritol 4-Phosphate) Pathway of Chloroplast Isoprenoid and Pigment Biosynthesis....Pages 95-118 Chapter 8 The Methylerythritol 4-Phosphate Pathway: Regulatory Role in Plastid Isoprenoid Biosynthesis....Pages 119-126 Chapter 9 The Role of Plastids in Protein Geranylgeranylation in Tobacco BY-2 Cells....Pages 127-138 Chapter 10 The Role of the Methyl-Erythritol-Phosphate (MEP)Pathway in Rhythmic Emission of Volatiles....Pages 139-154 Chapter 11 Tocochromanols: Biological Function and Recent Advances to Engineer Plastidial Biochemistry for Enhanced Oil Seed Vitamin E Levels....Pages 155-170 Chapter 12 The Anionic Chloroplast Membrane Lipids: Phosphatidylglycerol and Sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol....Pages 171-184 Chapter 13 Biosynthesis and Function of Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), the Signature Lipid of Chloroplasts....Pages 185-202 Chapter 14 Synthesis and Function of the Galactolipid Digalactosyldiacylglycerol....Pages 203-211 Chapter 15 The Chemistry and Biology of Light-Harvesting Complex II and Thylakoid Biogenesis: raison d’etre of Chlorophylls b and c ....Pages 213-229 Chapter 16 Folding and Pigment Binding of Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll a/b Protein (LHCIIb)....Pages 231-244 Chapter 17 The Plastid Genome as a Platform for the Expression of Microbial Resistance Genes....Pages 245-262 Chapter 18 Chloroplast Genetic Engineering: A Novel Technology for Agricultural Biotechnology and Bio-pharmaceutical Industry....Pages 263-284 Chapter 19 Engineering the Sunflower Rubisco Subunits into Tobacco Chloroplasts: New Considerations....Pages 285-306 Chapter 20 Engineering Photosynthetic Enzymes Involved in CO 2 –Assimilation by Gene Shuffling....Pages 307-322 Chapter 21 Elevated CO 2 and Ozone: Their Effects on Photosynthesis....Pages 323-346 Chapter 22 Regulation of Photosynthetic Electron Transport....Pages 347-362 Chapter 23 Mechanisms of Drought and High Light Stress Tolerance Studied in a Xerophyte, Citrullus lanatus (Wild Watermelon)....Pages 363-378 Chapter 24 Antioxidants and Photo-oxidative Stress Responses in Plants and Algae....Pages 379-396 Chapter 25 Singlet Oxygen-Induced Oxidative Stress in Plants....Pages 397-412 Back Matter....Pages 413-423 As the industrial revolution that has been based on by higher photosynthetic efficiencies and more utilization of fossil fuels nears its end [R. A. Ker biomass production per unit area. (2007) Even oil optimists expect energy demand to According to Times Magazine (April 30, 2007 outstrip supply. Science 317: 437], the next indus- issue), one fifth of the US corn crop is presently trial revolution will most likely need development converted into ethanol, which is considered to burn of alternate sources of clean energy. In addition cleaner than gasoline and to produce less gre- to the development of hydroelectric power, these house gases. In order to meet a target of 35 billion efforts will probably include the conversion of gallons of ethanol produced by the year 2017, the wind, sea wave motion and solar energy [Solar Day entire US corn crop would need to be turned into in the Sun (2007) Business week, October 15, pp fuel. But crops such as corn and sugarcane cannot 69–76] into electrical energy. The most promising yield enough to produce all the needed fuel. F- of those will probably be based on the full usage thermore, even if all available starch is converted of solar energy. The latter is likely to be plenti- into fuel, it would only produce about 10% of ful for the next 2–3 billion years. Most probably, our gasoline needs [R. F.