Gene regulation of CAM & C4 photosynthesis
Mapping the gene regulatory networks of integrated C4+CAM photosynthesis in Portulaca with single-nuclei RNA sequencing and comparative multi-omics.
C4 photosynthesis and Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) are plant adaptations that increase the efficiency of photosynthesis. Many of the world’s most important crops use C4 photosynthesis, including maize, sugarcane, and millet, which allows them to quickly grow in low nutrient and high light environments. CAM greatly increases plant water use efficiency and is therefore commonly found in water-scarce environments, such as in cacti of North American deserts. It was once thought that plants could use either C4 photosynthesis or CAM, but not both because they would compete for use of the same necessary enzymes and metabolites. However, the Purslanes (Portulaca)—common weeds across the globe—were discovered to combine C4 photosynthesis and CAM, which allows them to grow extremely fast in low nutrient and low water habitats like sidewalk cracks. Understanding how C4 photosynthesis and CAM can be combined provides new ways to improve the drought tolerance of crops with C4 photosynthesis and sheds light on fundamental questions of how gene networks are rewired for rapid evolutionary changes.
Funding:
- Michigan State University Plant Resilience Institute Seed Grant: Exploring cell-type regulatory dynamics of CAM and C4 photosynthesis in Portulaca (2023 – 2024)
- Collaborators: Dr. Robert VanBuren (MSU)
- NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology (Area 3, Plant Genomes): Exploring Cell-type Regulatory Dynamics of CAM and C4 Photosynthesis in Portulaca (2023 – 2026)
- Collaborators: Dr. Robert VanBuren (MSU)
Related publications: (Gilman et al., 2022) (Moreno-Villena et al., 2022)