Chloroplast RNA: possible site of an early lesion in iron deficiency

摘要

Euglena graciliswas grown under controlled levels of iron such that chlorophyll synthesis was halted, although the cells continued to grow at a normal rate. Chloroplasts isolated by zonal centrifugation from iron-deficient cells, even at a very early stage of deficiency, contained less than half the normal levels of RNA and ribosomes. Total RNA was unaffected. We note that a defect in chloroplast ribosomes could account for the signs of iron deficiency chlorosis.