Mechanisms of C4 Photosynthetic Evolution

C4光合进化机制

基本信息

批准号：
RGPIN-2017-06476
负责人：
Sage, Rowan
金额：
$ 4.23万
依托单位：
University of Toronto
依托单位国家：
加拿大
项目类别：
Discovery Grants Program - Individual
财政年份：
2017
资助国家：
加拿大
起止时间：
2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=630286
关键词：
Mechanisms C4 Photosynthetic Evolution

项目摘要

C4 photosynthesis enhances productivity and resource-use efficiency in higher plants by inhibiting the wasteful process of photorespiration. Despite its advantages, few major food and fiber crops use the C4 pathway, relying instead on the C3 pathway which can suffer from high rates of photorespiration. To meet growing demands for food, fiber and fuel, there is much interest in further exploiting C4 photosynthesis, either through the engineering of the C4 pathway into C3 crops, improving existing C4 crops, or domesticating wild C4 species. The Sage lab at the University of Toronto is a recognized leader in C4 plant biology, with expertise at the interfaces between molecular mechanisms, genomics, whole plant physiology, photosynthetic evolution, systematics, and ecology/biodiversity. Through our efforts, we have shown that C4 photosynthesis evolved at least 65 times, indicating it is relatively easy to evolve in nature and for humanity to engineer into our C3 crops, such as wheat and rice. By studying how C4 plants evolved, we should be able to learn how to engineer the C4 pathway into C3 plants, and to improve existing C4 crops. In this proposal, funds are requested to support research that will elucidate the physiological, developmental, and molecular mechanisms governing the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. To support this work, we have acquired the world's largest collection of related C3, C4 and C3-C4 intermediate species from 34 independent origins of C4 photosynthesis, including a diverse set of C3-C4 intermediate species from nine C4 evolutionary lineages. This diversity will enable us to use a comparative approach to examine the physiological, developmental and molecular mechanisms by which C4 photosynthesis evolved. In the comparative studies, we will characterize C4 trait acquisition along an evolutionary gradient in genera such as

C4光合作用通过抑制浪费的光呼吸过程来提高较高植物的生产率和资源利用效率。尽管有优势，但很少有主要食物和纤维作物使用C4途径，而依赖于C3途径，而C3途径可能会遭受高光吸收率。为了满足对食物，纤维和燃料的不断增长的需求，通过将C4途径的工程化成C3农作物，改善现有的C4农作物或驯化野生C4物种，对进一步利用C4光合作用引起了极大的兴趣。多伦多大学的Sage Lab是C4植物生物学的公认领导者，在分子机制，基因组学，整个植物生理学，光合作用进化，系统学和生态/生物多样性之间的界面方面具有专业知识。通过我们的努力，我们表明C4光合作用至少进化了65次，这表明在自然界和人类中相对容易发展，而人类则可以将其纳入我们的C3作物，例如小麦和大米。通过研究C4植物的发展方式，我们应该能够学习如何将C4途径设计到C3植物中，并改善现有的C4作物。在此提案中，要求资金支持研究，以阐明管理C4光合作用演化的生理，发育和分子机制。为了支持这项工作，我们从34个C4光合作用的34个独立起源中获取了世界上最大的相关C3，C4和C3-C4中间物种的集合，其中包括来自9个C4 C4进化谱系的各种C3-C4中间物种。这种多样性将使我们能够使用比较方法来检查C4光合作用演变的生理，发育和分子机制。在比较研究中，我们将表征沿着属的进化梯度的C4性状获取