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Amyloplast

Amyloplasts (also known as leucoplasts) are non-pigmented organelles found in plant cells responsible for the storage of starch through the polymerisation of glucose.

Large numbers of amyloplasts can be found in underground storage tissues of some plants, such as potato. Amyloplasts are derived from plastids, which are a specialized class of cellular organs. The plastids carry their own genome and are believed to be descendants of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) which formed a symbiotic relationship with the eucaryotic cell. Another plastid is the chloroplast, responsible for photosynthesis in plants.



07-14-2008 23:18:10
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