Research Area B: C4 Photosynthesis

C₄ photosynthesis has evolved independently over 60 times from C₃ photosynthesis in multiple angiosperm plant families within the past 25 million years. This multiple parallel evolution is currently believed to represent an adaptation to low atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, drought, and open, high-temperature habitats. The evolution of the C₄ photosynthesis trait from that of C₃ plants requires the concerted and parallel evolution of morphological and physiological sub-traits, such as the differentiation of photosynthetically active bundle-sheath cells, changes in enzyme biochemistry, and enhanced inter- and intra-cellular metabolite transport.

The aim of researchareaB is to understand the C₃/C₄ transition in such detail to enable the creation of a synthetic C₄ plant from a C₃ plant.

To achieve this goal, we will investigate each sub-trait separately and assemble all of them in a subsequent step. Comparative genetic and genomic approaches, using C₃ and C₄ model systems and natural populations in combination with high-throughput phenotyping under specific selective conditions of different CO₂-concentrations will be used to recognise the gene regulatory networks behind. This work will be complemented by quantitative cell biology and biochemistry available in research area. To enable the design of a synthetic C₄ trait in a C₃ plant we will extract the relevant gene regulatory modules by mathematical modelling and use fitness evaluations for the best combination of sub-trait properties.