FOR 1186: Photorespiration: Origins and Metabolic Integration in Interacting Compartments

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Photorespiration represents one of the major highways of plant primary metabolism. By mass flow, excelled only by photosynthesis, it actually constitutes the second-most important process in the land-based biosphere. Related CO2 losses can be very high and are further elevated by warmer temperatures and drought, hence reducing the yields of important crops. In light of the importance of this process for plant metabolism, adaptation and productivity, and significantly boosted by new tools, the Research Unit addresses major unresolved questions of the origins, metabolic integration and cellular biology of photorespiratory metabolism. To this end, the multivalent expertise of ten research groups and associated partners as well as advanced technology platforms will be combined to pursue two new approaches. A systems biology approach will provide a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic interactions that take place between the components of photorespiration in order to appreciate the system as a whole and allow quantitative predictions. Complementary to this, an integrated synthetic biology approach promotes plant breeding for sustainable energy production.