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Updated: May 26, 2026

Transient Gene Expression in Tobacco using Gibson Assembly and the Gene Gun
Published on: April 18, 2014
Recombinant Whirly1 translocates from transplastomic chloroplasts to the nucleus
Rena Isemer1, Maria Mulisch, Anke Schäfer
1Institute of Botany, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany.
Abstract:
Whirly1 was shown to be dually located in chloroplasts and nucleus of the same cell. To investigate whether the protein translocates from chloroplasts to the nucleus, we inserted a construct encoding an HA-tagged Whirly1 into the plastid genome of tobacco. Although the tagged protein was synthesized in plastids, it was detected in nuclei. Dual location of the protein was confirmed by immunocytological analyses. These results indicate that the plastidial Whirly1 is translocated from the plastid to the nucleus where it affects expression of target genes such as PR1. Our results support a role of Whirly1 in plastid-nucleus communication.
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