Engineering more water-use efficient crops: functional genomics of inverse stomatal control and high water use efficiency associated with Crassulacean

工程用水效率更高的作物：逆气孔控制的功能基因组学和与景天相关的高用水效率

• 批准号: 1644369
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Liverpool
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2015 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-1644369
• 关键词: Engineering; more; water; use; efficient

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is an adaptation of photosynthesis found in a diverse range of plant species that inhabit arid and semi-arid environments. CAM plants can achieve water use efficiencies up to ten-times greater than C3 species. Our over-arching goal is to develop a systems-level view of CAM and the associated inverse stomatal control by achieving a detailed understanding of the genes, proteins and metabolites involved in these valuable adaptations. Comprehensive knowledge of the CAM and stomatal control 'parts-list' will permit forward engineering of CAM into C3 crops. In particular, we are collaborating with US scientists on a major plant synthetic biology project that aims to introduce CAM into poplar trees (http://cambiodesign.org). We have performed whole genome and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) for our model CAM systems, Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi and K. laxiflora, and the CAM-performing, biomass feedstock crop, Agave sisalana. Our gene discovery work is yielding candidate genes for engineering CAM into C3 crops, but we first need to understand which are the most critical genes for CAM and stomatal control within a CAM species, before forward engineering the minimal set of CAM and stomatal control genes into a C3 species. In particular, in the last six months we have succeeded in obtaining a high quality RNA-seq dataset comparing gene regulation over the light dark cycle for both leaf epidermal peels (enriched for stomatal guard cells) and leaf mesophyll cells (where CAM photosynthesis proceeds). We are now ready to use this dataset to discover the genes that control inverse stomatal opening for CAM (stomata open in the dark and close in the light during CAM).This project will focus on the production and characterisation of transgenic Kalanchoë lines in which genes proposed to be essential for the inverse stomatal opening associated with CAM will be manipulated in a guard cell-specific manner either through gene silencing or over-expression approaches. Detailed phenotypic analysis of these transgenic lines in terms of their stomatal control, photosynthetic physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology will be undertaken thereby defining which genes are most critical for inverse stomatal opening for CAM. In the long term, this work will make a substantial contribution to the development of more drought tolerant, water use efficient bioenergy crops and new biofuel feedstock crops suitable for desert cultivation.

景天科酸代谢（CAM）是一种光合作用的适应，存在于干旱和半干旱环境中的各种植物物种中。CAM植物的水分利用效率比C3植物高10倍。我们的总体目标是通过详细了解这些有价值的适应中所涉及的基因、蛋白质和代谢物来开发CAM和相关的逆气孔控制的系统级视图。CAM和气孔控制'部件列表'的综合知识将允许CAM到C3作物的前向工程。特别是，我们正在与美国科学家合作开展一项主要的植物合成生物学项目，旨在将CAM引入白杨（http：cambiodesign.org）。我们已经对我们的CAM模型系统Kalamë fedtschenkoi和K.疏花植物和CAM-表现的生物质原料作物剑麻。我们的基因发现工作产生的候选基因工程CAM到C3作物，但我们首先需要了解哪些是最关键的CAM和气孔控制的CAM物种内的基因，在前向工程CAM和气孔控制基因的最小集到C3物种。特别是，在过去的六个月里，我们成功地获得了一个高质量的RNA-seq数据集，比较了叶表皮（富含气孔保卫细胞）和叶叶肉细胞（CAM光合作用进行的地方）在光暗周期中的基因调控。我们现在准备使用这个数据集来发现控制CAM逆气孔开放的基因该项目将侧重于转基因Kalkië系的生产和表征，其中被认为是与CAM相关的逆气孔开放所必需的基因将以保卫细胞特异性方式通过基因沉默或过度表达来操纵。表达方法。这些转基因株系的气孔控制，光合生理，生物化学和分子生物学方面的详细表型分析将进行，从而确定哪些基因是最关键的逆气孔开放CAM。从长远来看，这项工作将为开发更耐旱、用水效率更高的生物能源作物和适合沙漠种植的新生物燃料原料作物做出重大贡献。