Towards the Breeding of Climate Smart Crops - understanding plant acclimation to the environment

如果我们要养活不断增长的世界人口，那么我们就需要培育长得更好的作物。特别是，已经表明，光合作用，所有植物生长的基础过程，可以在作物植物中更有效。该项目的目的是研究在不同的生长条件下光合作用是如何受到限制的，以确定新陈代谢的潜在瓶颈。之前，我们已经证明植物能够在特定条件下优化其生长，这一过程称为驯化。不能适应的突变体在自然条件下产量降低。在这个项目中，您将使用植物生理学，系统生物学和建模的组合来研究植物如何能够适应一系列的光照和温度条件。将使用质谱法检查变化的生长条件对蛋白质组和代谢组的影响。这对植物性能的影响将使用植物生理学技术进行检查。为了了解代谢如何响应不同的条件，您将应用代谢建模。通过这种方式，您将确定代谢中可能存在的瓶颈，可以使用遗传修饰进行测试。该项目将适合具有植物科学或生物化学背景的人，他们愿意学习计算方法，并致力于使用最新的分析方法解决社会的关键挑战。

If we are to feed the growing world population, then we need to breed crops that grow better. In particular, it has been shown that photosynthesis, the process at the base of all plant growth, could be made more efficient in crop plants. The aim of this project is to examine how photosynthesis is limited under different growth conditions, to identify potential bottlenecks in metabolism. Previously, we have shown that plants are able to optimise their growth for particular conditions, a process called acclimation. Mutants which are unable to acclimate have reduced yield under natural conditions. In this project you will use a combination plant physiology, systems biology and modelling to investigate how plants are able to acclimate to a range of light and temperature conditions. The impact of changing growth conditions on the proteome and metabolome will be examined using mass spectrometry. The impact of this on plant performance will be examined using plant physiology techniques. To understand how metabolism responds to different conditions, you will apply metabolic modelling. In this way, you will identify possible bottlenecks in metabolism which can be tested using genetic modification. This project would suit someone with a background in plant sciences or biochemistry willing to learn computational approaches and who is committed to addressing key challenges for society using the latest analytical approaches available.