Localization and translocation of the protochlorophyllide holochrome during the greening of etioplasts in Zea mays L.

Abstract

Evidence from histoautoradiography and biochemical analysis shows that 3H-protochlorophyll synthesized from 3H-δ-aminolevulinic acid is localized in the prolamellar body of the etioplast. During the greening process, the radioactivity appears indifferently on the newly built lamellae or on the grana. The structural changes observed when the etiolated plastids are transformed into chloroplasts imply translocation not only of the pigments, but also of their associated proteins. © 1972 Academic Press, Inc.