Titel:
"Exploring the dynamics of C3 and C4 photosynthetic differentiation through comparative transcriptomics (RNA-seq)"
C4 photosynthesis has evolved multiple times during angiosperm evolution from C3 ancestors. This highly specialized form of photosynthesis essentially eliminates the detrimental photorespiratory process and offers higher water and nitrogen use efficiencies. In hot arid environments, crops that use C4 photosynthesis are more productive than C3 crops. This C4 advantage, together with current rises in world population and food prices, has led to an ongoing engineering effort to introduce C4 traits into C3 crops (e.g. rice). This ambitious goal demands a systems-level understanding of the regulatory networks underlying C4 photosynthetic differentiation. To define regulatory nodes that mediate C3 and C4 photosynthetic differentiation, we are using a comparative transcriptomics approach. We have developed a robust strand-specific RNA-seq library construction protocol and novel data analysis pipeline and are currently using this pipeline to obtain a highly resolved developmental time series of photosynthetic differentiation along maize (C4) and rice (C3) leaf gradients. We and collaborators are also layering additional datasets along this gradient including detailed histological, metabolic and proteomic surveys to develop one of the most highly resolved –omics datasets in plants.