TY - JOUR
T1 - Meeting in the Middle
T2 - Lessons and Opportunities from Studying C3-C4Intermediates
AU - Mercado, Mae Antonette
AU - Studer, Anthony J.
N1 - Funding Information:
The writing of this review was supported by the University of Illinois.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - The discovery of C3-C4 intermediate species nearly 50 years ago opened up a new avenue for studying the evolution of photosynthetic pathways. Intermediate species exhibit anatomical, biochemical, and physiological traits that range from C3 to C4. A key feature of C3-C4 intermediates that utilize C2 photosynthesis is the improvement in photosynthetic efficiency compared with C3 species. Although the recruitment of some core enzymes is shared across lineages, there is significant variability in gene expression patterns, consistent with models that suggest numerous evolutionary paths from C3 to C4 photosynthesis. Despite the many evolutionary trajectories, the recruitment of glycine decarboxylase for C2 photosynthesis is likely required. As technologies enable high-throughput genotyping and phenotyping, the discovery of new C3-C4 intermediates species will enrich comparisons between evolutionary lineages. The investigation of C3-C4 intermediate species will enhance our understanding of photosynthetic mechanisms and evolutionary processes and will potentially aid in crop improvement.
AB - The discovery of C3-C4 intermediate species nearly 50 years ago opened up a new avenue for studying the evolution of photosynthetic pathways. Intermediate species exhibit anatomical, biochemical, and physiological traits that range from C3 to C4. A key feature of C3-C4 intermediates that utilize C2 photosynthesis is the improvement in photosynthetic efficiency compared with C3 species. Although the recruitment of some core enzymes is shared across lineages, there is significant variability in gene expression patterns, consistent with models that suggest numerous evolutionary paths from C3 to C4 photosynthesis. Despite the many evolutionary trajectories, the recruitment of glycine decarboxylase for C2 photosynthesis is likely required. As technologies enable high-throughput genotyping and phenotyping, the discovery of new C3-C4 intermediates species will enrich comparisons between evolutionary lineages. The investigation of C3-C4 intermediate species will enhance our understanding of photosynthetic mechanisms and evolutionary processes and will potentially aid in crop improvement.
KW - Cphotosynthesis
KW - C-Cintermediate
KW - interspecific hybrids
KW - photorespiratory glycine shuttle
KW - trait evolution
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U2 - 10.1146/annurev-arplant-102720-114201
DO - 10.1146/annurev-arplant-102720-114201
M3 - Review article
C2 - 35231181
AN - SCOPUS:85130861910
SN - 1543-5008
VL - 73
SP - 43
EP - 65
JO - Annual Review of Plant Biology
JF - Annual Review of Plant Biology
ER -