Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying single-cell C4 photosynthesis in Chenopodiaceae species

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Photosynthetic organisms perform photosynthesis, a process that converts carbon dioxide into carbohydrates that are used by all life forms. Land plants use C3, C4 or Crassulacean acid metabolic (CAM) photosynthetic pathway with C4 and CAM being more efficient under conditions where CO2 becomes limiting. For many years, it has been accepted that all C4 plants must have a feature called Kranz anatomy consisting of two functionally and structurally distinct photosynthetic cell types. This Kranz paradigm was challenged when three terrestrial plants were found to perform the C4 pathway within individual photosynthetic cells. These species perform C4 photosynthesis by partitioning of organelles and key enzymes in two separate compartments. These interesting species serve as ideal model systems to examine the regulatory factors regulating the development of complex structural and biochemical polarity in a single plant cell.