The role of carbonic anhydrase in C4 photosynthesis
- Life Sciences Research Foundation, Baltimore, MD (United States)
Current pressures on the global food supply have accelerated the urgency for a second green revolution using novel and sustainable approaches to increase crop yield and efficiency. This proposal outlines experiments to address fundamental questions regarding the biology of C4 photosynthesis, the method of carbon fixation utilized by the most productive food, feed and bioenergy crops. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) has been implicated in multiple cellular functions including nitrogen metabolism, water use efficiency, and photosynthesis. CA catalyzes the first dedicated step in C4 photosynthesis, the hydration of CO2 into bicarbonate, and is potentially rate limiting in C4 grasses. Using insertional mutagenesis, we have generated CA mutants in maize, and propose the characterization of these mutants using phenotypic, physiological, and transcriptomic profiling to assay the plant’s response to altered CA activity. In addition, florescent protein tagging experiments will be employed to study the subcellular localization of CA paralogs, providing critical data for modeling carbon fixation in C4 plants. Finally, I propose parallel experiments in Setaria viridis to explore its relevance as model C4 grass. Using a multifaceted approach, this proposal addresses important questions in basic biology, as well as the need for translation research in response to looming global food challenges.
- Research Organization:
- Life Sciences Research Foundation, Baltimore, MD (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0008510
- OSTI ID:
- 1233447
- Report Number(s):
- SC0008510FinalReport
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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