Mechanisms controlling transcription of the plastid genome

Organellar phage-type RNA polymerases are indispensable for the transcription of the chloroplast genome. They have fundamental roles in the biogenesis of the photosynthetic compartment of plant cells. The project POLSPEC investigates distinct roles of two phage-type RNA polymerases, RPOTp and RPOTmp, which are present in plastids of dicotyledonous plants where they transcribe the plastid genome together with a third, eubacterial-type transcriptase named PEP. The project has two major objectives: 1. Defining the RPOTp- and RPOTmp-specific plastid transcriptomes and generating a plastid genome-wide map of transcription start sites (TSS) utilised by RPOTp or RPOTmp. 2. Identifying cis-regulatory elements on the plastid genome that direct the transcriptional activities of RPOTp and RPOTmp.