What is plastome?

Plastome is the genome of plastids, which are organelles found in plant cells. Plastids are responsible for various functions in plants, including photosynthesis, storage, and synthesis of lipids and pigments. Plastome is circular in structure, unlike nuclear genomes which are linear, and is typically smaller in size. Plastome contains genes that encode for proteins, RNAs, and transfer RNAs required for the function of plastids. It is inherited maternally in most plants, meaning that it is passed from the mother plant to its offspring. Plastomes are important for understanding the evolution and phylogeny of plants, as well as for applications in plant biotechnology and genetic engineering.