| Abstract Detail
Botany 2015 Colloquium: Phylogenomics and the 1000 plants (1KP) initiative Sage, Rowan F. [1], Stata, Matthew [1], Kelly, Steve [2], Covshoff, Sarah J. [3], Wong, Gane Ka-Shu [4], Hibberd, Julian M. [3]. The 1KP Project and the Evolution of C4 Photosynthesis. C4 photosynthesis is one of the most prolific of evolutionary phenomena, with over 65 distinct origins. Although physiological models of C4 evolution have been developed, the genetic changes that brought about the C4 pathway are only beginning to be unravelled. To promote comparative analyses of the genetic changes controlling the many origins of the C4 pathway, we have compared the transcriptomes of closely related C3 and C4 species from 12 independently evolved lineages of C4 plants from across the plant kingdom. Transcriptomes of over 60 species were obtained, with most grown and harvested under identical, sunny conditions in a greenhouse during June of 2010. Among the C3 and C4 species sets were members of Flaveria (Asteraceae), Heliotropium (Boraginaceae), Atriplex parents of C3 x C4 hybrids (Amaranthaceae), Cleome (Brassicaceae), Panaiceae (Poaceae) and Mollugo (Molluginaceae). Comparisons of the transcriptomes identified 16 candidate transcription factors that were consistently upregulated in the C4 lineages, as well as 338 genes of known and unknown function. Current work is emphasizing how genes associated with specific functional traits were altered during C4 evolution. For example, genes controlling chloroplast division have been examined to identify alterations that reduce chloroplast numbers in C4 mesophyll cells. When coupled with functional studies, the 1KP transcriptomes of sister C3 and C4 species is a powerful first step in addressing hypotheses of how the C4 pathway evolved, and whether it did so uniformly or through distinct patterns unique to each lineage.
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Related Links:
1KP website
1 - University of Toronto, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON, M5S3B2, Canada
2 - Oxford University, Plant Science, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
3 - University of Cambridge, Plant Sciences, Downing street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
4 - University of Alberta, Biological Sciences; Medicine (Gastroenterology), CW405 Biological Sciences, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
Keywords:
Evolution
C4 photosynthesis
Kranz anatomy.
Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: C1
Location: Salon 4/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 12:00 PM
Number: C1017
Abstract ID:661
Candidate for Awards:None |
