Plastids in higher plants carry out specialized roles such as photosynthesis, nitrogen assimilation, biosynthesis of amino acids, fatty acids, isoprenoids, and various metabolites. Plastids arise from undifferentiated precursors known as proplastids, which are found in the root and shoot meristems. They are highly dynamic as they change their number, morphology, and physiology according to the tissue they are present. In addition to housing various metabolic activities, plastids also serve as a global sensor for both internal and external environmental cues including different stresses, and help plants to respond/adjust accordingly. They relay information to the nucleus, which then responds by changing the expression levels of specific genes. It has been shown that plants with impaired plastid functions exhibit abnormalities. One of the sources emanating these signals to the nucleus is plastid transcription. Normal plastid functioning is therefore critical for plant survival. Despite immense significance for plant acclimation, the plastid transcriptome is largely an unstudied research area. In this review, we discuss the importance of plastid transcriptomics for the acclimation of plants under changing environmental conditions and summarize the key literature published in this field.

高等植物中的质体具有特殊的作用，例如光合作用、氮同化、氨基酸、脂肪酸、类异戊二烯和各种代谢物的生物合成。质体来自称为原质体的未分化前体，其存在于根和枝条分生组织中。它们是高度动态的，因为它们会根据它们存在的组织改变它们的数量、形态和生理机能。除了容纳各种代谢活动外，质体还充当内部和外部环境线索（包括不同压力）的全局传感器，并帮助植物做出相应的响应/调整。它们将信息传递给细胞核，然后细胞核通过改变特定基因的表达水平来做出反应。已经表明质体功能受损的植物表现出异常。向细胞核发出这些信号的来源之一是质体转录。因此，正常的质体功能对植物的生存至关重要。尽管对植物驯化具有重大意义，但质体转录组在很大程度上是一个未研究的研究领域。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了质体转录组学对植物在不断变化的环境条件下适应的重要性，并总结了该领域发表的关键文献。