Research proposal: Engineering chloroplast genomes for enhanced photosynthetic efficiency

研究提案：改造叶绿体基因组以提高光合作用效率

• 批准号: 2446492
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Oxford
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2446492
• 关键词: Research; proposal; Engineering; chloroplast; genomes

Chloroplasts are the organelles in plant cells that carry out photosynthesis, the process that utilizes sunlight to covert carbon dioxide to carbohydrates. Chloroplasts house their own genome, termed the plastome, that encodes many genes essential for photosynthesis. These genes are desirable targets for enhancing crop productivity. However, a lack of programmable DNA editing tools capable of specific and efficient editing of the plastome has so far prevented significant efforts for plastome engineering. This project aims to develop such a tool, based on the widely used CRISPR-Cas editing system, to open the door for plastome engineering. The system will then be used to introduce evolutionary-guided target edits into the plastome of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The effect of the mutations will then be analyzed, primarily through spectroscopic methods.BBSRC Priority AreasThe development of a programmable DNA editing tool for the plastome which could be used for enhancing crop productivity falls under the BBSRCs transformative technology for the biosciences. Work to identify and characterize target edits that enhance desirable photosynthetic traits falls under the BBSRCs global food security and sustainably enhancing agricultural production priority areas.

叶绿体是植物细胞中进行光合作用的细胞器，光合作用是利用阳光将二氧化碳转化为碳水化合物的过程。叶绿体拥有自己的基因组，称为质体，编码许多光合作用必需的基因。这些基因是提高作物生产力的理想靶标。然而，迄今为止，由于缺乏能够对质体进行特异性和高效编辑的可编程 DNA 编辑工具，阻碍了质体工程的重大努力。该项目旨在基于广泛使用的CRISPR-Cas编辑系统开发这样的工具，为质体工程打开大门。然后，该系统将用于将进化引导的目标编辑引入模式植物拟南芥的质体中。然后将主要通过光谱方法分析突变的影响。BBSRC 优先领域开发用于质体的可编程 DNA 编辑工具，可用于提高作物生产力，属于 BBSRC 生物科学变革技术的范围。确定和表征增强理想光合性状的目标编辑工作属于 BBSRC 全球粮食安全和可持续增强农业生产的优先领域。