NPGI NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2017: Identifying the Genetic Determinants of Photosynthetic Pathways in Portulaca: Development of Germplasm and Genetic Resources

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This action funds an NSF National Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2017. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The host institution for the fellowship is Brown University and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Erika Edwards.All plants perform one of three types of photosynthesis. Two of these confer substantial stress tolerance, particularly under heat or drought stress. Most crops possess the third, less stress tolerant type of photosynthesis, and it is a goal of many breeding programs to give these crops more stress tolerance by changing the type of photosynthesis they perform. A major roadblock to doing this is a lack of knowledge of the complex genetic control that differentiates the three photosynthesis types. This work uses the unique genus Portulaca, a group of species whose members variously perform all three types of photosynthesis (and even shift among them), to better understand the genetic control of the anatomy and biochemistry underpinning the three types. PI Goolsby will be trained in modern approaches in plant genomics and physiology, and this work will provide tools for further research on improving crop photosynthetic efficiency and stress tolerance.This work will map the genetic architecture that differentiates C3, C4, and CAM photosynthesis in the diverse genus Portulaca. A mapping panel of recombinant inbred lines will be developed using a multiparent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) approach from 8 founder lines spanning anatomical and biochemical extremes of C3, C4, and CAM photosynthesis within the genus. This panel will be sequenced to create a genetic map and phenotyped for key photosynthetic traits, which will allow association mapping and the identification of key candidate genes differentiating photosynthetic pathways. Germplasm and genetic data for the mapping panel will be deposited with the USDA and NCBI, respectively, providing open access to the scientific community and broader public and facilitating future basic and applied research efforts.