Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2825943 Trends in Plant Science 2014 10 Pages PDF
Abstract

•RNA metabolism in plant mitochondria combines prokaryotic traits with novel and unique features.•The complex mitochondrial RNA metabolism is regulated by a multitude of nucleus-encoded factors.•The majority of these trans-factors belong to unusual RNA-binding protein families such as PPR proteins.

Mitochondria are essential for the eukaryotic cell and are derived from the endosymbiosis of an α-proteobacterial ancestor. Compared to other eukaryotes, RNA metabolism in plant mitochondria is complex and combines bacterial-like traits with novel features that evolved in the host cell. These complex RNA processes are regulated by families of nucleus-encoded RNA-binding proteins. Transcription is particularly relaxed and is initiated from multiple promoters covering the entire genome. The variety of RNA precursors accumulating in mitochondria highlights the importance of post-transcriptional processes to determine the size and abundance of transcripts. Here we review RNA metabolism in plant mitochondria, from RNA transcription to translation, with a special focus on their unique features that are controlled by trans-factors.

Related Topics
Life Sciences Agricultural and Biological Sciences Plant Science
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