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Alenazi AS, Pereira L, Christin PA, Osborne CP, Dunning LT. Identifying genomic regions associated with C 4 photosynthetic activity and leaf anatomy in Alloteropsis semialata. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024. [PMID: 38953386 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a complex trait requiring multiple developmental and metabolic alterations. Despite this complexity, it has independently evolved over 60 times. However, our understanding of the transition to C4 is complicated by the fact that variation in photosynthetic type is usually segregated between species that diverged a long time ago. Here, we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the grass Alloteropsis semialata, the only known species to have C3, intermediate, and C4 accessions that recently diverged. We aimed to identify genomic regions associated with the strength of the C4 cycle (measured using δ13C), and the development of C4 leaf anatomy. Genomic regions correlated with δ13C include regulators of C4 decarboxylation enzymes (RIPK), nonphotochemical quenching (SOQ1), and the development of Kranz anatomy (SCARECROW-LIKE). Regions associated with the development of C4 leaf anatomy in the intermediate individuals contain additional leaf anatomy regulators, including those responsible for vein patterning (GSL8) and meristem determinacy (GIF1). The parallel recruitment of paralogous leaf anatomy regulators between A. semialata and other C4 lineages implies the co-option of these genes is context-dependent, which likely has implications for the engineering of the C4 trait into C3 species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed S Alenazi
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Northern Border University, Arar, 91431, Saudi Arabia
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Lara Pereira
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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Plackett ARG, Hibberd JM. Rice bundle sheath cell shape is regulated by the timing of light exposure during leaf development. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:2597-2613. [PMID: 38549236 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Plant leaves contain multiple cell types which achieve distinct characteristics whilst still coordinating development within the leaf. The bundle sheath possesses larger individual cells and lower chloroplast content than the adjacent mesophyll, but how this morphology is achieved remains unknown. To identify regulatory mechanisms determining bundle sheath cell morphology we tested the effects of perturbing environmental (light) and endogenous signals (hormones) during leaf development of Oryza sativa (rice). Total chloroplast area in bundle sheath cells was found to increase with cell size as in the mesophyll but did not maintain a 'set-point' relationship, with the longest bundle sheath cells demonstrating the lowest chloroplast content. Application of exogenous cytokinin and gibberellin significantly altered the relationship between cell size and chloroplast biosynthesis in the bundle sheath, increasing chloroplast content of the longest cells. Delayed exposure to light reduced the mean length of bundle sheath cells but increased corresponding leaf length, whereas premature light reduced final leaf length but did not affect bundle sheath cells. This suggests that the plant hormones cytokinin and gibberellin are regulators of the bundle sheath cell-chloroplast relationship and that final bundle sheath length may potentially be affected by light-mediated control of exit from the cell cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julian M Hibberd
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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3
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Warchoł M, Juzoń-Sikora K, Rančić D, Pećinar I, Warzecha T, Idziak-Helmcke D, Laskoś K, Czyczyło-Mysza I, Dziurka K, Skrzypek E. Comparative characteristics of oat doubled haploids and oat × maize addition lines: Anatomical features of the leaves, chlorophyll a fluorescence and yield parameters. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298072. [PMID: 38593116 PMCID: PMC11003612 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
As a result of oat (Avena sativa L.) × maize (Zea mays L.) crossing, maize chromosomes may not be completely eliminated at the early stages of embryogenesis, leading to the oat × maize addition (OMA) lines development. Introgression of maize chromosomes into oat genome can cause morphological and physiological modifications. The aim of the research was to evaluate the leaves' anatomy, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and yield parameter of oat doubled haploid (DH) and OMA lines obtained by oat × maize crossing. The present study examined two DH and two disomic OMA lines and revealed that they differ significantly in the majority of studied traits, apart from: the number of cells of the outer bundle sheath; light energy absorption; excitation energy trapped in PSII reaction centers; and energy dissipated from PSII. The OMA II line was characterized by larger size of single cells in the outer bundle sheath and greater number of seeds per plant among tested lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzena Warchoł
- Polish Academy of Sciences, The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Kraków, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Juzoń-Sikora
- Polish Academy of Sciences, The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Kraków, Poland
| | - Dragana Rančić
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ilinka Pećinar
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Tomasz Warzecha
- Department of Plant Breeding, Physiology and Seed Science, University of Agriculture in Kraków, Kraków, Poland
| | - Dominika Idziak-Helmcke
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology, and Environmental Protection, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - Kamila Laskoś
- Polish Academy of Sciences, The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Kraków, Poland
| | - Ilona Czyczyło-Mysza
- Polish Academy of Sciences, The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Kraków, Poland
| | - Kinga Dziurka
- Polish Academy of Sciences, The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Kraków, Poland
| | - Edyta Skrzypek
- Polish Academy of Sciences, The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Kraków, Poland
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Sotelo G, Gamboa S, Dunning LT, Christin PA, Varela S. C 4 photosynthesis provided an immediate demographic advantage to populations of the grass Alloteropsis semialata. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 242:774-785. [PMID: 38389217 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a key innovation in land plant evolution, but its immediate effects on population demography are unclear. We explore the early impact of the C4 trait on the trajectories of C4 and non-C4 populations of the grass Alloteropsis semialata. We combine niche models projected into paleoclimate layers for the last 5 million years with demographic models based on genomic data. The initial split between C4 and non-C4 populations was followed by a larger expansion of the ancestral C4 population, and further diversification led to the unparalleled expansion of descendant C4 populations. Overall, C4 populations spread over three continents and achieved the highest population growth, in agreement with a broader climatic niche that rendered a large potential range over time. The C4 populations that remained in the region of origin, however, experienced lower population growth, rather consistent with local geographic constraints. Moreover, the posterior transfer of some C4-related characters to non-C4 counterparts might have facilitated the recent expansion of non-C4 populations in the region of origin. Altogether, our findings support that C4 photosynthesis provided an immediate demographic advantage to A. semialata populations, but its effect might be masked by geographic contingencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graciela Sotelo
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, 36310, Vigo, Spain
| | - Sara Gamboa
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, 36310, Vigo, Spain
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, S10 2TN, Sheffield, UK
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, S10 2TN, Sheffield, UK
| | - Sara Varela
- Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, 36310, Vigo, Spain
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Camo-Escobar D, Alcalá-Gutiérrez C, Palafox-Figueroa E, Guillotin B, Hernández-Coronado M, Coyac-Rodríguez JL, Cerbantez-Bueno VE, Vélez-Ramírez A, de Folter S, Birnbaum KD, Ortiz-Ramírez C. A common regulatory switch controls a suite of C4 traits in multiple cell types. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.21.572850. [PMID: 38260543 PMCID: PMC10802423 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.21.572850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
The C4 photosynthetic pathway provided a major advantage to plants growing in hot, dry environments, including the ancestors of our most productive crops. Two traits were essential for the evolution of this pathway: increased vein density and the functionalization of bundle sheath cells for photosynthesis. Although GRAS transcriptional regulators, including SHORT ROOT (SHR), have been implicated in mediating leaf patterning in both C3 and C4 species, little is known about what controls the specialized features of the cells that mediate C4 metabolism and physiology. We show in the model monocot, Setaria viridis, that SHR regulates components of multiple cell identities, including chloroplast biogenesis and photosynthetic gene expression in bundle sheath cells, a central feature of C4 plants. Furthermore, we found that it also contributes to the two-cell compartmentalization of the characteristic four-carbon shuttle pathway. Disruption of SHR function clearly reduced photosynthetic capacity and seed yield in mutant plants under heat stress. Together, these results show how cell identities are remodeled by SHR to host the suite of traits characteristic of C4 regulation, which are a main engineering target in non-C4 crops to improve climate resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Camo-Escobar
- UGA Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, CINVESTAV Irapuato, Guanajuato 36821, México
| | - Carlos Alcalá-Gutiérrez
- UGA Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, CINVESTAV Irapuato, Guanajuato 36821, México
| | - Ernesto Palafox-Figueroa
- UGA Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, CINVESTAV Irapuato, Guanajuato 36821, México
| | - Bruno Guillotin
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Marcela Hernández-Coronado
- UGA Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, CINVESTAV Irapuato, Guanajuato 36821, México
| | - José L. Coyac-Rodríguez
- UGA Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, CINVESTAV Irapuato, Guanajuato 36821, México
| | - Vincent E. Cerbantez-Bueno
- UGA Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, CINVESTAV Irapuato, Guanajuato 36821, México
- Present address: Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Aarón Vélez-Ramírez
- Laboratorio de Investigación Interdisciplinaria, ENES-León, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Guanajuato 37684, México
| | - Stefan de Folter
- UGA Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, CINVESTAV Irapuato, Guanajuato 36821, México
| | - Kenneth D. Birnbaum
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Carlos Ortiz-Ramírez
- UGA Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, CINVESTAV Irapuato, Guanajuato 36821, México
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Mok D, Leung A, Searles P, Sage TL, Sage RF. CAM photosynthesis in Bulnesia retama (Zygophyllaceae), a non-succulent desert shrub from South America. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:655-670. [PMID: 37625031 PMCID: PMC10799978 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Bulnesia retama is a drought-deciduous, xerophytic shrub from arid landscapes of South America. In a survey of carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) in specimens from the field, B. retama exhibited less negative values, indicative of CAM or C4 photosynthesis. Here, we investigate whether B. retama is a C4 or CAM plant. METHODS Gas-exchange responses to intercellular CO2, diurnal gas-exchange profiles, δ13C and dawn vs. afternoon titratable acidity were measured on leaves and stems of watered and droughted B. retama plants. Leaf and stem cross-sections were imaged to determine whether the tissues exhibited succulent CAM or C4 Kranz anatomy. KEY RESULTS Field-collected stems and fruits of B. retama exhibited δ13C between -16 and -19 ‰. Plants grown in a glasshouse from field-collected seeds had leaf δ13C values near -31 ‰ and stem δ13C values near -28 ‰. The CO2 response of photosynthesis showed that leaves and stems used C3 photosynthesis during the day, while curvature in the nocturnal response of net CO2 assimilation rate (A) in all stems, coupled with slightly positive rates of A at night, indicated modest CAM function. C4 photosynthesis was absent. Succulence was absent in all tissues, although stems exhibited tight packing of the cortical chlorenchyma in a CAM-like manner. Tissue titratable acidity increased at night in droughted stems. CONCLUSIONS Bulnesia retama is a weak to modest C3 + CAM plant. This is the first report of CAM in the Zygophyllaceae and the first showing that non-succulent, xerophytic shrubs use CAM. CAM alone in B. retama was too limited to explain less negative δ13C in field-collected plants, but combined with effects of low stomatal and mesophyll conductance it could raise δ13C to observed values between -16 and -19 ‰. Modest CAM activity, particularly during severe drought, could enable B. retama to persist in arid habitats of South America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Mok
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Wilcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario M5R3C6, Canada
| | - Arthur Leung
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Wilcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario M5R3C6, Canada
| | - Peter Searles
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR-CONICET), Entre Ríos y Mendoza s/n, Anillaco (5301), La Rioja, Argentina
| | - Tammy L Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Wilcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario M5R3C6, Canada
| | - Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Wilcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario M5R3C6, Canada
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DiMario RJ, Kophs AN, Apalla AJA, Schnable JN, Cousins AB. Multiple highly expressed phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase genes have divergent enzyme kinetic properties in two C4 grasses. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:413-428. [PMID: 37675505 PMCID: PMC10667006 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase (PEPC) catalyses the irreversible carboxylation of PEP with bicarbonate to produce oxaloacetate. This reaction powers the carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) in plants that perform C4 photosynthesis. This CCM is generally driven by a single PEPC gene product that is highly expressed in the cytosol of mesophyll cells. We found two C4 grasses, Panicum miliaceum and Echinochloa colona, that each have two highly expressed PEPC genes. We characterized the kinetic properties of the two most abundant PEPCs in E. colona and P. miliaceum to better understand how the enzyme's amino acid structure influences its function. METHODS Coding sequences of the two most abundant PEPC proteins in E. colona and P. miliaceum were synthesized by GenScript and were inserted into bacteria expression plasmids. Point mutations resulting in substitutions at conserved amino acid residues (e.g. N-terminal serine and residue 890) were created via site-directed PCR mutagenesis. The kinetic properties of semi-purified plant PEPCs from Escherichia coli were analysed using membrane-inlet mass spectrometry and a spectrophotometric enzyme-coupled reaction. KEY RESULTS The two most abundant P. miliaceum PEPCs (PmPPC1 and PmPPC2) have similar sequence identities (>95 %), and as a result had similar kinetic properties. The two most abundant E. colona PEPCs (EcPPC1 and EcPPC2) had identities of ~78 % and had significantly different kinetic properties. The PmPPCs and EcPPCs had different responses to allosteric inhibitors and activators, and substitutions at the conserved N-terminal serine and residue 890 resulted in significantly altered responses to allosteric regulators. CONCLUSIONS The two, significantly expressed C4Ppc genes in P. miliaceum were probably the result of genomes combining from two closely related C4Panicum species. We found natural variation in PEPC's sensitivity to allosteric inhibition that seems to bypass the conserved 890 residue, suggesting alternative evolutionary pathways for increased malate tolerance and other kinetic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J DiMario
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Ashley N Kophs
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Anthony J A Apalla
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - James N Schnable
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
| | - Asaph B Cousins
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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Pereira L, Bianconi ME, Osborne CP, Christin PA, Dunning LT. Alloteropsis semialata as a study system for C4 evolution in grasses. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:365-382. [PMID: 37422712 PMCID: PMC10667010 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous groups of plants have adapted to CO2 limitations by independently evolving C4 photosynthesis. This trait relies on concerted changes in anatomy and biochemistry to concentrate CO2 within the leaf and thereby boost productivity in tropical conditions. The ecological and economic importance of C4 photosynthesis has motivated intense research, often relying on comparisons between distantly related C4 and non-C4 plants. The photosynthetic type is fixed in most species, with the notable exception of the grass Alloteropsis semialata. This species includes populations exhibiting the ancestral C3 state in southern Africa, intermediate populations in the Zambezian region and C4 populations spread around the palaeotropics. SCOPE We compile here the knowledge on the distribution and evolutionary history of the Alloteropsis genus as a whole and discuss how this has furthered our understanding of C4 evolution. We then present a chromosome-level reference genome for a C3 individual and compare the genomic architecture with that of a C4 accession of A. semialata. CONCLUSIONS Alloteropsis semialata is one of the best systems in which to investigate the evolution of C4 photosynthesis because the genetic and phenotypic variation provides a fertile ground for comparative and population-level studies. Preliminary comparative genomic investigations show that the C3 and C4 genomes are highly syntenic and have undergone a modest amount of gene duplication and translocation since the different photosynthetic groups diverged. The background knowledge and publicly available genomic resources make A. semialata a great model for further comparative analyses of photosynthetic diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Pereira
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
| | - Matheus E Bianconi
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN,UK
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Alenazi AS, Bianconi ME, Middlemiss E, Milenkovic V, Curran EV, Sotelo G, Lundgren MR, Nyirenda F, Pereira L, Christin PA, Dunning LT, Osborne CP. Leaf anatomy explains the strength of C 4 activity within the grass species Alloteropsis semialata. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2023. [PMID: 37184423 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis results from anatomical and biochemical characteristics that together concentrate CO2 around ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), increasing productivity in warm conditions. This complex trait evolved through the gradual accumulation of components, and particular species possess only some of these, resulting in weak C4 activity. The consequences of adding C4 components have been modelled and investigated through comparative approaches, but the intraspecific dynamics responsible for strengthening the C4 pathway remain largely unexplored. Here, we evaluate the link between anatomical variation and C4 activity, focusing on populations of the photosynthetically diverse grass Alloteropsis semialata that fix various proportions of carbon via the C4 cycle. The carbon isotope ratios in these populations range from values typical of C3 to those typical of C4 plants. This variation is statistically explained by a combination of leaf anatomical traits linked to the preponderance of bundle sheath tissue. We hypothesize that increased investment in bundle sheath boosts the strength of the intercellular C4 pump and shifts the balance of carbon acquisition towards the C4 cycle. Carbon isotope ratios indicating a stronger C4 pathway are associated with warmer, drier environments, suggesting that incremental anatomical alterations can lead to the emergence of C4 physiology during local adaptation within metapopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed S Alenazi
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia
| | - Matheus E Bianconi
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Ella Middlemiss
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Vanja Milenkovic
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Emma V Curran
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Graciela Sotelo
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Marjorie R Lundgren
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Florence Nyirenda
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Lara Pereira
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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10
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Singh J, Garai S, Das S, Thakur JK, Tripathy BC. Role of C4 photosynthetic enzyme isoforms in C3 plants and their potential applications in improving agronomic traits in crops. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2022; 154:233-258. [PMID: 36309625 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-022-00978-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
As compared to C3, C4 plants have higher photosynthetic rates and better tolerance to high temperature and drought. These traits are highly beneficial in the current scenario of global warming. Interestingly, all the genes of the C4 photosynthetic pathway are present in C3 plants, although they are involved in diverse non-photosynthetic functions. Non-photosynthetic isoforms of carbonic anhydrase (CA), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), the decarboxylating enzymes NAD/NADP-malic enzyme (NAD/NADP-ME), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and finally pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) catalyze reactions that are essential for major plant metabolism pathways, such as the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, maintenance of cellular pH, uptake of nutrients and their assimilation. Consistent with this view differential expression pattern of these non-photosynthetic C3 isoforms has been observed in different tissues across the plant developmental stages, such as germination, grain filling, and leaf senescence. Also abundance of these C3 isoforms is increased considerably in response to environmental fluctuations particularly during abiotic stress. Here we review the vital roles played by C3 isoforms of C4 enzymes and the probable mechanisms by which they help plants in acclimation to adverse growth conditions. Further, their potential applications to increase the agronomic trait value of C3 crops is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jitender Singh
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, 110067, India.
| | - Sampurna Garai
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Shubhashis Das
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Jitendra Kumar Thakur
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, 110067, India.
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India.
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Zhu X, Liu J, Sun X, Kuang C, Liu H, Zhang L, Zheng Q, Liu J, Li J, Wang H, Hua W. Stress-induced higher vein density in the C3-C4 intermediate Moricandia suffruticosa under drought and heat stress. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:6334-6351. [PMID: 35675763 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of C4 photosynthesis involved multiple anatomical and physiological modifications, yet our knowledge of the genetic regulation involved remains elusive. In this study, systematic analyses were conducted comparing the C3-C4 intermediate Moricandia suffruticosa and its C3 relative Brassica napus (rapeseed). We found that the leaves of M. suffruticosa had significantly higher vein density than those of B. napus, and the vein density was further increased in M. suffruticosa under drought and heat stress. Moreover, the bundle sheath distance, as the mean distance from the outer wall of one bundle sheath to the outer wall of an adjacent one, decreased and the number of centripetal chloroplasts in bundle sheath cells was found to be altered in M. suffruticosa leaves under drought and heat treatments. These results suggest that abiotic stress can induce a change in an intermediate C3-C4 anatomy towards a C4-like anatomy in land plants. By integrating drought and heat factors, co-expression network and comparative transcriptome analyses between M. suffruticosa and B. napus revealed that inducible auxin signaling regulated vascular development, and autophagy-related vesicle trafficking processes were associated with this stress-induced anatomical change. Overexpressing three candidate genes, MsERF02, MsSCL01, and MsDOF01, increased leaf vein density and/or enhanced photosynthetic assimilation and drought adaptability in the transgenic lines. The findings of this study may improve our understanding of the genetic regulation and evolution of C4 anatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Zhu
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Liu
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingchao Sun
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Kuang
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongfang Liu
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiwei Zheng
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Liu
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Li
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Hanzhong Wang
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Hua
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
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12
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Bianconi ME, Sotelo G, Curran EV, Milenkovic V, Samaritani E, Dunning LT, Bertolino LT, Osborne CP, Christin PA. Upregulation of C 4 characteristics does not consistently improve photosynthetic performance in intraspecific hybrids of a grass. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022. [PMID: 35201618 DOI: 10.1101/2021.08.10.455822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is thought to have evolved via intermediate stages, with changes towards the C4 phenotype gradually enhancing photosynthetic performance. This hypothesis is widely supported by modelling studies, but experimental tests are missing. Mixing of C4 components to generate artificial intermediates can be achieved via crossing, and the grass Alloteropsis semialata represents an outstanding study system since it includes C4 and non-C4 populations. Here, we analyse F1 hybrids between C3 and C4 , and C3 +C4 and C4 genotypes to determine whether the acquisition of C4 characteristics increases photosynthetic performance. The hybrids have leaf anatomical characters and C4 gene expression profiles that are largely intermediate between those of their parents. Carbon isotope ratios are similarly intermediate, which suggests that a partial C4 cycle coexists with C3 carbon fixation in the hybrids. This partial C4 phenotype is associated with C4 -like photosynthetic efficiency in C3 +C4 × C4 , but not in C3 × C4 hybrids, which are overall less efficient than both parents. Our results support the hypothesis that the photosynthetic gains from the upregulation of C4 characteristics depend on coordinated changes in anatomy and biochemistry. The order of acquisition of C4 components is thus constrained, with C3 +C4 species providing an essential step for C4 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus E Bianconi
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | - Graciela Sotelo
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | - Emma V Curran
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | - Vanja Milenkovic
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | - Emanuela Samaritani
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | - Lígia T Bertolino
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
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13
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Bianconi ME, Sotelo G, Curran EV, Milenkovic V, Samaritani E, Dunning LT, Bertolino LT, Osborne CP, Christin P. Upregulation of C 4 characteristics does not consistently improve photosynthetic performance in intraspecific hybrids of a grass. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:1398-1411. [PMID: 35201618 PMCID: PMC9314825 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is thought to have evolved via intermediate stages, with changes towards the C4 phenotype gradually enhancing photosynthetic performance. This hypothesis is widely supported by modelling studies, but experimental tests are missing. Mixing of C4 components to generate artificial intermediates can be achieved via crossing, and the grass Alloteropsis semialata represents an outstanding study system since it includes C4 and non-C4 populations. Here, we analyse F1 hybrids between C3 and C4 , and C3 +C4 and C4 genotypes to determine whether the acquisition of C4 characteristics increases photosynthetic performance. The hybrids have leaf anatomical characters and C4 gene expression profiles that are largely intermediate between those of their parents. Carbon isotope ratios are similarly intermediate, which suggests that a partial C4 cycle coexists with C3 carbon fixation in the hybrids. This partial C4 phenotype is associated with C4 -like photosynthetic efficiency in C3 +C4 × C4 , but not in C3 × C4 hybrids, which are overall less efficient than both parents. Our results support the hypothesis that the photosynthetic gains from the upregulation of C4 characteristics depend on coordinated changes in anatomy and biochemistry. The order of acquisition of C4 components is thus constrained, with C3 +C4 species providing an essential step for C4 evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus E. Bianconi
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldUK
| | - Graciela Sotelo
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldUK
| | - Emma V. Curran
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldUK
| | - Vanja Milenkovic
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldUK
| | - Emanuela Samaritani
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldUK
| | - Luke T. Dunning
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldUK
| | - Lígia T. Bertolino
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldUK
| | - Colin P. Osborne
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldUK
| | - Pascal‐Antoine Christin
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of BiosciencesUniversity of SheffieldWestern BankSheffieldUK
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14
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Cui H. Challenges and Approaches to Crop Improvement Through C3-to-C4 Engineering. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:715391. [PMID: 34594351 PMCID: PMC8476962 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.715391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
With a rapidly growing world population and dwindling natural resources, we are now facing the enormous challenge of increasing crop yields while simultaneously improving the efficiency of resource utilization. Introduction of C4 photosynthesis into C3 crops is widely accepted as a key strategy to meet this challenge because C4 plants are more efficient than C3 plants in photosynthesis and resource usage, particularly in hot climates, where the potential for productivity is high. Lending support to the feasibility of this C3-to-C4 engineering, evidence indicates that C4 photosynthesis has evolved from C3 photosynthesis in multiple lineages. Nevertheless, C3-to-C4 engineering is not an easy task, as several features essential to C4 photosynthesis must be introduced into C3 plants. One such feature is the spatial separation of the two phases of photosynthesis (CO2 fixation and carbohydrate synthesis) into the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, respectively. Another feature is the Kranz anatomy, characterized by a close association between the mesophyll and bundle sheath (BS) cells (1:1 ratio). These anatomical features, along with a C4-specific carbon fixation enzyme (PEPC), form a CO2-concentration mechanism that ensures a high photosynthetic efficiency. Much effort has been taken in the past to introduce the C4 mechanism into C3 plants, but none of these attempts has met with success, which is in my opinion due to a lack of system-level understanding and manipulation of the C3 and C4 pathways. As a prerequisite for the C3-to-C4 engineering, I propose that not only the mechanisms that control the Kranz anatomy and cell-type-specific expression in C3 and C4 plants must be elucidated, but also a good understanding of the gene regulatory network underlying C3 and C4 photosynthesis must be achieved. In this review, I first describe the past and current efforts to increase photosynthetic efficiency in C3 plants and their limitations; I then discuss a systems approach to tackling down this challenge, some practical issues, and recent technical innovations that would help us to solve these problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongchang Cui
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
- College of Life Science, Northwest Science University of Agriculture and Forestry, Yangling, China
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15
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Araus JL, Sanchez-Bragado R, Vicente R. Improving crop yield and resilience through optimization of photosynthesis: panacea or pipe dream? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2021; 72:3936-3955. [PMID: 33640973 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Increasing the speed of breeding to enhance crop productivity and adaptation to abiotic stresses is urgently needed. The perception that a second Green Revolution should be implemented is widely established within the scientific community and among stakeholders. In recent decades, different alternatives have been proposed for increasing crop yield through manipulation of leaf photosynthetic efficiency. However, none of these has delivered practical or relevant outputs. Indeed, the actual increases in photosynthetic rates are not expected to translate into yield increases beyond 10-15%. Furthermore, instantaneous rates of leaf photosynthesis are not necessarily the reference target for research. Yield is the result of canopy photosynthesis, understood as the contribution of laminar and non-laminar organs over time, within which concepts such as canopy architecture, stay-green, or non-laminar photosynthesis need to be taken into account. Moreover, retrospective studies show that photosynthetic improvements have been more common at the canopy level. Nevertheless, it is crucial to place canopy photosynthesis in the context of whole-plant functioning, which includes sink-source balance and transport of photoassimilates, and the availability and uptake of nutrients, such as nitrogen in particular. Overcoming this challenge will only be feasible if a multiscale crop focus combined with a multidisciplinary scientific approach is adopted.
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Affiliation(s)
- José L Araus
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, and AGROTECNIO Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Ruth Sanchez-Bragado
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, and AGROTECNIO Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Rubén Vicente
- Plant Ecophysiology and Metabolism Group, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
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16
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Phansopa C, Dunning LT, Reid JD, Christin PA. Lateral Gene Transfer Acts As an Evolutionary Shortcut to Efficient C4 Biochemistry. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 37:3094-3104. [PMID: 32521019 PMCID: PMC7751175 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The adaptation of proteins for novel functions often requires changes in their kinetics via amino acid replacement. This process can require multiple mutations, and therefore extended periods of selection. The transfer of genes among distinct species might speed up the process, by providing proteins already adapted for the novel function. However, this hypothesis remains untested in multicellular eukaryotes. The grass Alloteropsis is an ideal system to test this hypothesis due to its diversity of genes encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, an enzyme that catalyzes one of the key reactions in the C4 pathway. Different accessions of Alloteropsis either use native isoforms relatively recently co-opted from other functions or isoforms that were laterally acquired from distantly related species that evolved the C4 trait much earlier. By comparing the enzyme kinetics, we show that native isoforms with few amino acid replacements have substrate KM values similar to the non-C4 ancestral form, but exhibit marked increases in catalytic efficiency. The co-option of native isoforms was therefore followed by rapid catalytic improvements, which appear to rely on standing genetic variation observed within one species. Native C4 isoforms with more amino acid replacements exhibit additional changes in affinities, suggesting that the initial catalytic improvements are followed by gradual modifications. Finally, laterally acquired genes show both strong increases in catalytic efficiency and important changes in substrate handling. We conclude that the transfer of genes among distant species sharing the same physiological novelty creates an evolutionary shortcut toward more efficient enzymes, effectively accelerating evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chatchawal Phansopa
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.,Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Luke T Dunning
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - James D Reid
- Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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17
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Heyduk K, Ray JN, Leebens-Mack J. Leaf anatomy is not correlated to CAM function in a C3+CAM hybrid species, Yucca gloriosa. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:437-449. [PMID: 32166326 PMCID: PMC7988526 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcaa036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is often considered to be a complex trait, requiring orchestration of leaf anatomy and physiology for optimal performance. However, the observation of trait correlations is based largely on comparisons between C3 and strong CAM species, resulting in a lack of understanding as to how such traits evolve and the level of intraspecific variability for CAM and associated traits. METHODS To understand intraspecific variation for traits underlying CAM and how these traits might assemble over evolutionary time, we conducted detailed time course physiological screens and measured aspects of leaf anatomy in 24 genotypes of a C3+CAM hybrid species, Yucca gloriosa (Asparagaceae). Comparisons were made to Y. gloriosa's progenitor species, Y. filamentosa (C3) and Y. aloifolia (CAM). KEY RESULTS Based on gas exchange and measurement of leaf acids, Y. gloriosa appears to use both C3 and CAM, and varies across genotypes in the degree to which CAM can be upregulated under drought stress. While correlations between leaf anatomy and physiology exist when testing across all three Yucca species, such correlations break down at the species level in Y. gloriosa. CONCLUSIONS The variation in CAM upregulation in Y. gloriosa is a result of its relatively recent hybrid origin. The lack of trait correlations between anatomy and physiology within Y. gloriosa indicate that the evolution of CAM, at least initially, can proceed through a wide combination of anatomical traits, and more favourable combinations are eventually selected for in strong CAM plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Heyduk
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- For correspondence. E-mail
| | - Jeremy N Ray
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jim Leebens-Mack
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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18
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Russ Monson and the evolution of C 4 photosynthesis. Oecologia 2021; 197:823-840. [PMID: 33661402 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04883-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Early in his career, Russ Monson produced a series of influential eco-physiological papers that helped lay the foundation for the study of C4 plant evolution. Among the most important was a 1984 paper with Maurice Ku and Gerry Edwards that outlined the pathway for the evolutionary bridge from C3 to C4 photosynthesis. This model proposed C4 photosynthesis arose out of a shuttle that imported photorespiratory metabolites into bundle sheath (BS) cells, where glycine decarboxylase cleaved off CO2, allowing it to accumulate and be efficiently refixed by BS Rubisco. By the mid-1990's, Monson's research focus had shifted away from C4 plants, save for one 2003 paper on C3 versus C4 stomatal control with Travis Huxman, and a series of critical reviews on C4 evolution. These reviews heavily influenced the modern synthesis of C4 evolutionary studies, which incorporates phylogenomic understanding with physiological, molecular, and structural characterizations of trait shifts in multiple evolutionary lineages. Subsequent research supported the Monson et al. model from 1984, by showing a glycine shuttle occurs in nearly all C3-C4 intermediate species identified. Monson also examined the physiological controls over the ecological distribution of C3, C3-C4 intermediate, and C4 photosynthesis, building our understanding of the fitness value of the intermediate and C4 pathway in relevant microenvironments. By establishing the foundation for discoveries that followed, Russ Monson can rightly be considered a leading pioneer contributing to the evolutionary biology of C4 photosynthesis.
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Tashima M, Yabiku T, Ueno O. Coleataenia prionitis, a C 4-like species in the Poaceae. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2021; 147:211-227. [PMID: 33393063 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-020-00808-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
C4-like plants represent the penultimate stage of evolution from C3 to C4 plants. Although Coleataenia prionitis (formerly Panicum prionitis) has been described as a C4 plant, its leaf anatomy and gas exchange traits suggest that it may be a C4-like plant. Here, we reexamined the leaf structure and biochemical and physiological traits of photosynthesis in this grass. The large vascular bundles were surrounded by two layers of bundle sheath (BS): a colorless outer BS and a chloroplast-rich inner BS. Small vascular bundles, which generally had a single BS layer with various vascular structures, also occurred throughout the mesophyll together with BS cells not associated with vascular tissue. The mesophyll cells did not show a radial arrangement typical of Kranz anatomy. These features suggest that the leaf anatomy of C. prionitis is on the evolutionary pathway to a complete C4 Kranz type. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and pyruvate, Pi dikinase occurred in the mesophyll and outer BS. Glycine decarboxylase was confined to the inner BS. Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) accumulated in the mesophyll and both BSs. C. prionitis had biochemical traits of NADP-malic enzyme type, whereas its gas exchange traits were close to those of C4-like intermediate plants rather than C4 plants. A gas exchange study with a PEPC inhibitor suggested that Rubisco in the mesophyll could fix atmospheric CO2. These data demonstrate that C. prionitis is not a true C4 plant but should be considered as a C4-like plant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maho Tashima
- Graduate School of Bioresources and Environmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Motooka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Takayuki Yabiku
- Graduate School of Bioresources and Environmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Motooka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Osamu Ueno
- Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Motooka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
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20
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Bianconi ME, Hackel J, Vorontsova MS, Alberti A, Arthan W, Burke SV, Duvall MR, Kellogg EA, Lavergne S, McKain MR, Meunier A, Osborne CP, Traiperm P, Christin PA, Besnard G. Continued Adaptation of C4 Photosynthesis After an Initial Burst of Changes in the Andropogoneae Grasses. Syst Biol 2020; 69:445-461. [PMID: 31589325 PMCID: PMC7672695 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} photosynthesis is a complex trait that sustains fast growth and high productivity in tropical and subtropical conditions and evolved repeatedly in flowering plants. One of the major C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} lineages is Andropogoneae, a group of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$\sim $\end{document}1200 grass species that includes some of the world’s most important crops and species dominating tropical and some temperate grasslands. Previous efforts to understand C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} evolution in the group have compared a few model C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} plants to distantly related C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{3}$\end{document} species so that changes directly responsible for the transition to C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} could not be distinguished from those that preceded or followed it. In this study, we analyze the genomes of 66 grass species, capturing the earliest diversification within Andropogoneae as well as their C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{3}$\end{document} relatives. Phylogenomics combined with molecular dating and analyses of protein evolution show that many changes linked to the evolution of C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} photosynthesis in Andropogoneae happened in the Early Miocene, between 21 and 18 Ma, after the split from its C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{3}$\end{document} sister lineage, and before the diversification of the group. This initial burst of changes was followed by an extended period of modifications to leaf anatomy and biochemistry during the diversification of Andropogoneae, so that a single C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} origin gave birth to a diversity of C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$_{4}$\end{document} phenotypes during 18 million years of speciation events and migration across geographic and ecological spaces. Our comprehensive approach and broad sampling of the diversity in the group reveals that one key transition can lead to a plethora of phenotypes following sustained adaptation of the ancestral state. [Adaptive evolution; complex traits; herbarium genomics; Jansenelleae; leaf anatomy; Poaceae; phylogenomics.]
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus E Bianconi
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Jan Hackel
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK
| | - Maria S Vorontsova
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK
| | - Adriana Alberti
- CEA - Institut de Biologie Francois-Jacob, Genoscope, 2 Rue Gaston Cremieux 91057 Evry Cedex, France
| | - Watchara Arthan
- Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AH, UK
| | - Sean V Burke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Plant Molecular and Bioinformatics Center, Northern Illinois University, 1425 W. Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115-2861, USA
| | - Melvin R Duvall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Plant Molecular and Bioinformatics Center, Northern Illinois University, 1425 W. Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115-2861, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Kellogg
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, 975 North Warson Road, St. Louis, MI 63132, USA
| | - Sébastien Lavergne
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, CNRS – Université Grenoble Alpes, UMR 5553, Grenoble, France
| | - Michael R McKain
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, 500 Hackberry Lane, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - Alexandre Meunier
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Colin P Osborne
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Paweena Traiperm
- Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, King Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Pascal-Antoine Christin
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Guillaume Besnard
- Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
- Correspondence to be sent to: Laboratoire Evolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), CNRS/IRD/Université Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France; E-mail:
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21
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Lundgren MR. C 2 photosynthesis: a promising route towards crop improvement? THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 228:1734-1740. [PMID: 32080851 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
C2 photosynthesis is a carbon concentrating mechanism that can increase net CO2 assimilation by capturing, concentrating and re-assimilating CO2 released by photorespiration. Empirical and modelling studies indicate that C2 plants assimilate more carbon than C3 plants under high temperature, bright light, and low CO2 conditions. I argue that engineering C2 photosynthesis into C3 crops is a promising approach to improve photosynthetic performance under these - and temporally heterogeneous - environments, and review the modifications that may re-create a C2 phenotype in C3 plants. Although a C2 engineering program would encounter many of the same challenges faced by C4 engineering programmes, the simpler leaf anatomical requirements make C2 engineering a feasible approach to improve crops in the medium term.
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22
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Zhao W, Fu P, Liu G, Zhao P. Difference between emergent aquatic and terrestrial monocotyledonous herbs in relation to the coordination of leaf stomata with vein traits. AOB PLANTS 2020; 12:plaa047. [PMID: 33376587 PMCID: PMC7750939 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plaa047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Emergent aquatic plants mostly occur in shallow waters and root in bottom substrates, but their leaves emerge from the water surface and are thus exposed to air, similar to the leaves of terrestrial plants. Previous studies have found coordination between leaf water supply and demand in terrestrial plants; however, whether such a coordination exists in emergent aquatic plants remains unknown. In this study, we analysed leaf veins and stomatal characteristics of 14 emergent aquatic and 13 terrestrial monocotyledonous herb species (EMH and TMH), with 5 EMH and 8 TMH belonging to Poaceae. We found that EMH had significantly higher mean leaf area, leaf thickness, stomatal density, stomatal number per vein length and major vein diameter, but lower mean major vein length per area (VLA) and total VLA than TMH. There was no significant difference in stomatal length, minor VLA and minor vein diameter between the two groups. Stomatal density and total VLA were positively correlated among the EMH, TMH, as well as the 8 Poaceae TMH species, but this correlation became non-significant when data from both the groups were pooled. Our results showed that the differences in water supply between emergent aquatic and terrestrial plants modify the coordination of their leaf veins and stomatal traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanli Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China
| | - Peili Fu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan 666303, China
- Ailaoshan Station of Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jingdong, Yunnan 676209, China
| | - Guolan Liu
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou, China
| | - Ping Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Center of Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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23
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Mendonça AMDC, Viana PL, Barbosa JPRAD. LEAF ANATOMY CHARACTERIZATION OF FOUR Apochloa SPECIES: A C3 GENUS RELATED TO EVOLUTION OF C4 PATHWAY IN GRASSES. ACTA BIOLÓGICA COLOMBIANA 2020. [DOI: 10.15446/abc.v26n1.83228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Leaf anatomy characteristics provide important evidences about the transition between C3 and C4 pathways. The C4 photosynthesis pathway allowed to reduce the C3 photorespiratory rate, concentrating CO2 around the Rubisco site and using structures and machinery already presented in C3 plants. In monocots, it is observed a high number of C4 lineages, most of them phylogenetically related to C3 groups. The genus Apochloa (C3), subtribe Arthropogoninae, is related to two C4 genera Coleataenia and Cyphonanthus. The aim of this study was to evaluate four Apochloa species in order to establish anatomical characteristics related to the evolution of C4 pathway in this group. By means of transverse sections fully expanded leaves of A. euprepes, A. lorea, A. molinioides, and A. poliophylla were collected and the characteristics of the mesophyll (M) and bundle sheath (BS) cells were determined. These species showed a rustic Kranz anatomy with enlarged and radial arranged BS cells, which have few organelles organized in a centrifugal position. Although the modifications of BS cells are probably related to the maintenance of plant water status, we also discuss the evolution for the establishment of C4 photosynthesis in the related C4 genera.
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24
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Young SNR, Sack L, Sporck-Koehler MJ, Lundgren MR. Why is C4 photosynthesis so rare in trees? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:4629-4638. [PMID: 32409834 PMCID: PMC7410182 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Since C4 photosynthesis was first discovered >50 years ago, researchers have sought to understand how this complex trait evolved from the ancestral C3 photosynthetic machinery on >60 occasions. Despite its repeated emergence across the plant kingdom, C4 photosynthesis is notably rare in trees, with true C4 trees only existing in Euphorbia. Here we consider aspects of the C4 trait that could limit but not preclude the evolution of a C4 tree, including reduced quantum yield, increased energetic demand, reduced adaptive plasticity, evolutionary constraints, and a new theory that the passive symplastic phloem loading mechanism observed in trees, combined with difficulties in maintaining sugar and water transport over a long pathlength, could make C4 photosynthesis largely incompatible with the tree lifeform. We conclude that the transition to a tree habit within C4 lineages as well as the emergence of C4 photosynthesis within pre-existing trees would both face a series of challenges that together explain the global rarity of C4 photosynthesis in trees. The C4 trees in Euphorbia are therefore exceptional in how they have circumvented every potential barrier to the rare C4 tree lifeform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie N R Young
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Lawren Sack
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Marjorie R Lundgren
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
- Correspondence:
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25
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Li K, Wang J, Qiao L, Zheng R, Ma Y, Chen Y, Hou X, Du Y, Gao J, Liu H. Diversity of Reproductive Phenology Among Subtropical Grasses Is Constrained by Evolution and Climatic Niche. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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26
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Abstract
C4 photosynthesis evolved multiple times independently from ancestral C3 photosynthesis in a broad range of flowering land plant families and in both monocots and dicots. The evolution of C4 photosynthesis entails the recruitment of enzyme activities that are not involved in photosynthetic carbon fixation in C3 plants to photosynthesis. This requires a different regulation of gene expression as well as a different regulation of enzyme activities in comparison to the C3 context. Further, C4 photosynthesis relies on a distinct leaf anatomy that differs from that of C3, requiring a differential regulation of leaf development in C4. We summarize recent progress in the understanding of C4-specific features in evolution and metabolic regulation in the context of C4 photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urte Schlüter
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; ,
| | - Andreas P M Weber
- Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; ,
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27
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Khoshravesh R, Stata M, Busch FA, Saladié M, Castelli JM, Dakin N, Hattersley PW, Macfarlane TD, Sage RF, Ludwig M, Sage TL. The Evolutionary Origin of C 4 Photosynthesis in the Grass Subtribe Neurachninae. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 182:566-583. [PMID: 31611421 PMCID: PMC6945869 DOI: 10.1104/pp.19.00925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The Australian grass subtribe Neurachninae contains closely related species that use C3, C4, and C2 photosynthesis. To gain insight into the evolution of C4 photosynthesis in grasses, we examined leaf gas exchange, anatomy and ultrastructure, and tissue localization of Gly decarboxylase subunit P (GLDP) in nine Neurachninae species. We identified previously unrecognized variation in leaf structure and physiology within Neurachne that represents varying degrees of C3-C4 intermediacy in the Neurachninae. These include inverse correlations between the apparent photosynthetic carbon dioxide (CO2) compensation point in the absence of day respiration (C * ) and chloroplast and mitochondrial investment in the mestome sheath (MS), where CO2 is concentrated in C2 and C4 Neurachne species; width of the MS cells; frequency of plasmodesmata in the MS cell walls adjoining the parenchymatous bundle sheath; and the proportion of leaf GLDP invested in the MS tissue. Less than 12% of the leaf GLDP was allocated to the MS of completely C3 Neurachninae species with C * values of 56-61 μmol mol-1, whereas two-thirds of leaf GLDP was in the MS of Neurachne lanigera, which exhibits a newly-identified, partial C2 phenotype with C * of 44 μmol mol-1 Increased investment of GLDP in MS tissue of the C2 species was attributed to more MS mitochondria and less GLDP in mesophyll mitochondria. These results are consistent with a model where C4 evolution in Neurachninae initially occurred via an increase in organelle and GLDP content in MS cells, which generated a sink for photorespired CO2 in MS tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxana Khoshravesh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | - Matt Stata
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | - Florian A Busch
- Research School of Biology and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Montserrat Saladié
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Joanne M Castelli
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Nicole Dakin
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Paul W Hattersley
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Terry D Macfarlane
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Perth, Western Australia 6983 Australia
| | - Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
| | - Martha Ludwig
- School of Molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Tammy L Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2
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28
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Dunning LT, Moreno-Villena JJ, Lundgren MR, Dionora J, Salazar P, Adams C, Nyirenda F, Olofsson JK, Mapaura A, Grundy IM, Kayombo CJ, Dunning LA, Kentatchime F, Ariyarathne M, Yakandawala D, Besnard G, Quick WP, Bräutigam A, Osborne CP, Christin PA. Key changes in gene expression identified for different stages of C4 evolution in Alloteropsis semialata. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:3255-3268. [PMID: 30949663 PMCID: PMC6598098 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a complex trait that boosts productivity in tropical conditions. Compared with C3 species, the C4 state seems to require numerous novelties, but species comparisons can be confounded by long divergence times. Here, we exploit the photosynthetic diversity that exists within a single species, the grass Alloteropsis semialata, to detect changes in gene expression associated with different photosynthetic phenotypes. Phylogenetically informed comparative transcriptomics show that intermediates with a weak C4 cycle are separated from the C3 phenotype by increases in the expression of 58 genes (0.22% of genes expressed in the leaves), including those encoding just three core C4 enzymes: aspartate aminotransferase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase. The subsequent transition to full C4 physiology was accompanied by increases in another 15 genes (0.06%), including only the core C4 enzyme pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase. These changes probably created a rudimentary C4 physiology, and isolated populations subsequently improved this emerging C4 physiology, resulting in a patchwork of expression for some C4 accessory genes. Our work shows how C4 assembly in A. semialata happened in incremental steps, each requiring few alterations over the previous step. These create short bridges across adaptive landscapes that probably facilitated the recurrent origins of C4 photosynthesis through a gradual process of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke T Dunning
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Marjorie R Lundgren
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Paolo Salazar
- International Rice Research Institute, DAPO, Metro Manila, Philippines
| | - Claire Adams
- Botany Department, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Florence Nyirenda
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Jill K Olofsson
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Isla M Grundy
- Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | | | - Lucy A Dunning
- Department of Social Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Menaka Ariyarathne
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeiya, Sri Lanka
| | - Deepthi Yakandawala
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeiya, Sri Lanka
| | - Guillaume Besnard
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR5174), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - W Paul Quick
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
- International Rice Research Institute, DAPO, Metro Manila, Philippines
| | | | - Colin P Osborne
- Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
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29
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Stata M, Sage TL, Sage RF. Mind the gap: the evolutionary engagement of the C 4 metabolic cycle in support of net carbon assimilation. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 49:27-34. [PMID: 31150949 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2019.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis evolved dozens of times, with a critical step being the engagement of a C4 metabolic cycle to concentrate CO2 into a bundle sheath-like compartment. While C3-C4 intermediate species show a progressive increase in the activity of a C4 metabolic cycle, the integration of the C4 and C3 biochemical cycles in enhancing photosynthetic carbon gain occurs in a punctuated manner, at an initial C4 cycle activity near 60%. Punctuated integration of the C4 cycle could result from the evolutionary acquisition of traits that coordinate the C3 and C4 biochemical cycles (for example, an enzymatic, regulatory or transport function) or from a sudden reduction in the mesophyll C3 cycle. Alternatively, a punctuated pattern could be an artifact of low numbers of C3-C4 intermediates in the evolutionary space where C4 cycle engagement occurs, due to incomplete sampling of natural diversity or evolutionary dynamics rendering such intermediates unstable. Understanding how the C4 cycle becomes integrated with the C3 cycle could reveal new avenues for engineering the C4 pathway into C3 plants. Such efforts would be facilitated by the generation of hybrids, or the discovery of additional intermediates, that span the transition from low to high C4 cycle engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Stata
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, M5S3B2, Canada
| | - Tammy L Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, M5S3B2, Canada
| | - Rowan F Sage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, M5S3B2, Canada.
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30
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