Characterizing the molecular and metabolic regulation of drought-tolerant CAM photosynthesis
EMSL Project ID
51552
Abstract
CAM photosynthesis is a water-saving modification to the more common C3 photosynthetic pathway, found in about 8% of flowering plants, including desert species like agaves and cacti. CAM species can be constitutive - in that they use CAM for nearly all of their carbon fixation - or facultative, where plants upregulate CAM under abiotic stress. As our climate continues to change and our ability to grow biofuel crops on marginal lands becomes paramount, understanding CAM phenotypes is important to developing drought tolerant crops. Here we propose to fully characterize the molecular phenotype - including gene expression and metabolite and protein abundance - by comparing closely related C3 and CAM species. Moreover, to fully understand how facultative CAM species respond to drought and induce CAM, we will likewise compare gene expression, chromatin configurations, and metabolite and protein abundance in a species which varies across genotypes for the ability to induce CAM. To date, no complete picture of the molecular and metabolic regulation of CAM exists; though this award, we will better understand the complexities underlying the control and induction of CAM, and will enable future work toward functional validation and bioengineering drought tolerance. Using the sequencing services at JGI combined with mass spectrometry capabilities at EMSL, we aim to integrate data types for a comprehensive understanding of the molecular and genomic underpinnings of CAM.
Project Details
Project type
FICUS Research
Start Date
2020-10-01
End Date
2023-09-01
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members