Plastid division: evidence for a prokaryotically derived mechanism

Plastid division is a critical process in plant cell biology but it is poorly understood. Recent studies combining mutant analysis, gene cloning, and exploitation of genomic resources have revealed that the molecular machinery associated with plastid division is derived evolutionarily from the bacterial cell division apparatus. Comparison of the two processes provides a basis for identifying new components of the plastid division mechanism, but also serves to highlight the differences, not least of which is the nuclear control of the plastid division process.