+1 862 207 3288 Chloroplast are endoplasmic organelles found in the plant cells. Only a few plants like fungi and some bacteria are devoid of chloroplasts. It is a form of plastid and the green colored plastids are known as chloroplasts. Chloroplast are relatively large organelles. Chloroplast can be readily visible under the light microscope even in unstained preparations as they are green in color. They vary greatly in size and shape from species to species. They are cup shaped or ribbon like spirals in some algae and fill a large part of the cells. In higher plants, in each cell many chloroplasts are present. Generally they are ovoid, lens shaped or disc like bodies. There may be as many as 50 to 60 chloroplasts in each cell of grass leaf. The higher plants, they measure 2 to 4 by 5 to 10 in size. A typical chloroplast is composed of
(i) 50 to 60 percent proteins.
(ii) 25 to 35 percent Lipids.
(iii) 5 to 10 percent chlorophyll.
(iv) 1 percent pigments other than chlorophyll
(v) Small amounts of RNA and DNA structure.
Chloroplast is bounded by two membranes, The outer membrane is similar to the plasma membrane. The inner membrane is very intricately elaborated to form system of lamellae. The inside of the Chloroplast is early divisible into two parts.
1. The embedding colorless ground substance stroma and
2. The membrane system made up of closed flattened sacs called thylakoids. Thylakoids are closely packed into certain areas, like piles of coins known as grana. There may be as many as 40 to 60 grana per chloroplast
Each granum may consist of 2 to 100 coins like thylakoids. Thylakoids can assume a variety of configuration in different species of plants. It can be simple parallel sacs running lengthwise, or may be in a complex interconnecting network of the sacs.
