Unravelling polar chloroplast positioning in C4 photosynthesis

Lay Summary
The population is expected to hit 9.5 billion by 2050 and with that comes increased demand for food and energy. To reach global food requirements and sustain our ever-growing population, we must focus our efforts on developing more efficient crops. Plants have cellular organelles which underpin their productivity, known as chloroplasts. Chloroplasts are the site of photosynthesis; a process in which sunlight is transformed into energy, sustaining plant growth. Several species have naturally evolved a more efficient photosynthetic mechanism, known as C4 photosynthesis, which splits photosynthetic reactions between the leaf mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. Numerous anatomical modifications can be found in C4 species, including, the polar arrangement of chloroplasts in the bundle sheath cells. In this work, I aim to unravel the mechanisms controlling polar chloroplast positioning in C4 species. By studying the influence of light, and identifying and characterising potential genes involved in chloroplast movement and anchoring, I will begin to piece together the complex programme controlling this distinctive C4 trait. This project will provide the scientific community with valuable insights into this understudied developmental process, and introduce novel cell biology methodologies and genetic mutants for future research. In the long term, this project will pave the way towards engineering more efficient crops needed for global food security.
UKRI-BBSRC Priority Areas
Sustainably Enhancing Agricultural Production:
This project will utilise model species and crop plants to understand how changes in their anatomy gives rise to more efficient photosynthesis. Our findings may be applied in the future to alternative crop species to increase global plant productivity and sustainably increase crop yields. This project will combine genotype-phenotype-environment interactions to determine how photosynthesis can be optimised via chloroplast polarity in bundle sheath cells. Upon completion, our findings will benefit farming both in the UK and overseas.
Cross-Council Priority Areas
Global Food Security:
Reaching global food requirements over the coming years will rely on sustainably enhancing agricultural productivity. By discovering ways to optimise plant development for increased photosynthetic efficiency, crop production will provide increased yields while occupying less land.