Illuminating strategies for enhancing photosynthesis
<p>While population growth and resource limitation increasingly clash, there is a growing need for sustainable intensification of agriculture. Improving yields by crop enhancement is a promising solution to this challenge, however, knowledge about which genes to engineer in crop species is lac...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2019
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| _version_ | 1826278677730557952 |
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| author | Hendron, RW |
| author2 | Kelly, S |
| author_facet | Kelly, S Hendron, RW |
| author_sort | Hendron, RW |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>While population growth and resource limitation increasingly clash, there is a growing need for sustainable intensification of agriculture. Improving yields by crop enhancement is a promising solution to this challenge, however, knowledge about which genes to engineer in crop species is lacking. To that end, the genetic regulation of photosynthesis was investigated. Initially, phylogenetics was used to infer a gene regulatory network that regulates C3 photosynthesis in rice. This revealed that, compared to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, as much as 81% of this network was unresolved in grasses. Gene expression data were analysed by correlational and machine learning approaches to fill in gaps in this rice network. Combined with the phylogenetic analysis, these approaches enabled the assembly of a grass regulatory network for photosynthesis and facilitated exploration of the regulation of photosynthesis in maize. Through de-etiolation experiments it was found that different wavelengths of light differentially activated chloroplast maturation networks in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. This provided evidence that subdivision of light signalling networks is a key component of cellular partitioning of C4 photosynthesis in maize. Finally, the results of the gene regulatory network analysis and the de-etiolation experiments in maize were used to devise a strategy to engineer enhanced photosynthesis in C3 plants. This strategy was validated through transgenic experiments in both Arabidopsis and rice plants. Phenotypic analyses showed that photosynthetic rates were enhanced in these plants by 20-40%. Thus, the findings presented here reveal a new strategy by which crop yield enhancement can be brought to light.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T23:47:31Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:7175040d-d22a-48a6-ae6b-b27fcaa22a4c |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T23:47:31Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:7175040d-d22a-48a6-ae6b-b27fcaa22a4c2022-03-26T19:43:42ZIlluminating strategies for enhancing photosynthesisThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:7175040d-d22a-48a6-ae6b-b27fcaa22a4cChloroplasts--Formation--RegulationGenetic engineeringPlant genetic regulationEvolutionPhotosynthesisEnglishHyrax Deposit2019Hendron, RWKelly, S<p>While population growth and resource limitation increasingly clash, there is a growing need for sustainable intensification of agriculture. Improving yields by crop enhancement is a promising solution to this challenge, however, knowledge about which genes to engineer in crop species is lacking. To that end, the genetic regulation of photosynthesis was investigated. Initially, phylogenetics was used to infer a gene regulatory network that regulates C3 photosynthesis in rice. This revealed that, compared to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, as much as 81% of this network was unresolved in grasses. Gene expression data were analysed by correlational and machine learning approaches to fill in gaps in this rice network. Combined with the phylogenetic analysis, these approaches enabled the assembly of a grass regulatory network for photosynthesis and facilitated exploration of the regulation of photosynthesis in maize. Through de-etiolation experiments it was found that different wavelengths of light differentially activated chloroplast maturation networks in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. This provided evidence that subdivision of light signalling networks is a key component of cellular partitioning of C4 photosynthesis in maize. Finally, the results of the gene regulatory network analysis and the de-etiolation experiments in maize were used to devise a strategy to engineer enhanced photosynthesis in C3 plants. This strategy was validated through transgenic experiments in both Arabidopsis and rice plants. Phenotypic analyses showed that photosynthetic rates were enhanced in these plants by 20-40%. Thus, the findings presented here reveal a new strategy by which crop yield enhancement can be brought to light.</p> |
| spellingShingle | Chloroplasts--Formation--Regulation Genetic engineering Plant genetic regulation Evolution Photosynthesis Hendron, RW Illuminating strategies for enhancing photosynthesis |
| title | Illuminating strategies for enhancing photosynthesis |
| title_full | Illuminating strategies for enhancing photosynthesis |
| title_fullStr | Illuminating strategies for enhancing photosynthesis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Illuminating strategies for enhancing photosynthesis |
| title_short | Illuminating strategies for enhancing photosynthesis |
| title_sort | illuminating strategies for enhancing photosynthesis |
| topic | Chloroplasts--Formation--Regulation Genetic engineering Plant genetic regulation Evolution Photosynthesis |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hendronrw illuminatingstrategiesforenhancingphotosynthesis |