Mutation of plastid ribosomal protein L13 results in an albino seedling-lethal phenotype in rice

Chloroplasts are essential plant organelles that play important roles in photosynthesis and are involved in many fundamental metabolic pathways. Plastid ribosomal proteins are essential components of protein synthesis machinery and have diverse roles in plant growth and development during chloroplast differentiation. In this study, we isolated and characterized T-DNA-tagged rice mutant (prpl13), which exhibited albino seedling lethality. PRPL13 is a nuclear gene encoding the 50S ribosomal protein L13, which is localized in chloroplasts. Transmission electronic microscopy analysis showed abnormal plastid development in the thylakoids of the chloroplasts of the prpl13 mutant seedlings. Chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were also significantly reduced in the leaves of the mutants. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed that the prpl13 mutations altered the expression levels of genes involved in photosynthesis and chloroplast development. Thus, our data indicate that nuclear-encoded PRPL13 plays an important role in chloroplast development in Rice.