CAREER: Defining the evolutionary trajectory of CAM photosynthesis in Portulacineae (Caryophyllales)

职业：定义马齿苋亚科（石竹目）CAM 光合作用的进化轨迹

• 批准号: 1252901
• 负责人: Erika Edwards
• 金额: $ 80万
• 依托单位: Brown University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-02-15 至 2017-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1252901&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Defining; evolutionary; trajectory; CAM

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) refers to a set of changes to the photosynthetic pathway that allows plants to grow more efficiently under conditions of drought, high temperatures, and/or low atmospheric CO2. It is biochemically similar to another modification, C4 photosynthesis, but requires fewer structural changes to leaf tissue. We know a great deal about the evolutionary history of the C4 syndrome, and this knowledge has informed efforts to genetically engineer this photosynthetic improvement into crops such as rice. We know virtually nothing about CAM evolution- its genetic underpinnings, its relationship to other plant traits, and whether it is equally likely to evolve in all plant lineages. Here the PI proposes to significantly increase our understanding of how CAM evolves, utilizing a comparative approach and focusing on one horticulturally important plant lineage known for drought tolerance, which includes the cacti. The project involves extensive genetic and ecological analyses, and will also develop a new metric to efficiently screen species for low level CAM activity. Because this is a CAREER award, all research goals of the project are tightly interwoven into an innovative education program involving undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers at Brown University, and graduate students from Peru. In addition to the basic scientific understanding that will be gained, this project should yield valuable insight into the use of CAM photosynthesis for engineering more drought-resistant crops. Moreover it will build a foundational bridge of scientific collaboration between the United States and Peru, and contribute significantly to capacity building and scientific training in a developing nation.

景天酸代谢 (CAM) 是指光合作用途径的一系列变化，使植物能够在干旱、高温和/或低大气二氧化碳条件下更有效地生长。 它在生物化学上与另一种修饰（C4 光合作用）相似，但对叶组织的结构变化要求较少。我们对 C4 综合征的进化历史了解很多，这些知识为通过基因工程改造水稻等作物的光合作用改进提供了信息。我们对 CAM 进化几乎一无所知——它的遗传基础、它与其他植物性状的关系，以及它是否在所有植物谱系中进化的可能性相同。在这里，PI 提议利用比较方法并重点关注一种以耐旱而闻名的重要园艺植物谱系（其中包括仙人掌），显着增进我们对 CAM 如何进化的理解。该项目涉及广泛的遗传和生态分析，还将开发一种新的指标来有效筛选低水平 CAM 活性的物种。由于这是一个职业奖，该项目的所有研究目标都紧密地融入到一个创新教育计划中，该计划涉及布朗大学的本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员以及来自秘鲁的研究生。除了获得基本的科学认识外，该项目还应该对利用 CAM 光合作用设计更耐旱的作物产生有价值的见解。此外，它将在美国和秘鲁之间架起一座科学合作的基础桥梁，并为发展中国家的能力建设和科学培训做出重大贡献。