The effects of elevated CO2 concentration on soybean gene expression. An analysis of growing and mature leaves.
Improvements in carbon assimilation and water-use efficiency lead to increases in maximum leaf area index at elevated carbon dioxide concentration ([CO(2)]); however, the molecular drivers for this increase are unknown. We investigated the molecular basis for changes in leaf development at elevated [CO(2)] using soybeans (Glycine max) grown under fully open air conditions at the Soybean Free Air CO(2) Enrichment (SoyFACE) facility. The transcriptome responses of rapidly growing and fully expanded leaves to elevated [CO(2)] were investigated using cDNA microarrays. We identified 1,146 transcripts that showed a significant change in expression in growing versus fully expanded leaves. Transcripts for ribosomal proteins, cell cycle, and cell wall loosening, necessary for cytoplasmic growth and cell proliferation, were highly expressed in growing leaves. We further identified 139 transcripts with a significant [CO(2)] by development interaction. Clustering of these transcripts showed that transcripts involved in cell growth and cell proliferation were more highly expressed in growing leaves that developed at elevated [CO(2)] compared to growing leaves that developed at ambient [CO(2)]. The 327 [CO(2)]-responsive genes largely suggest that elevated [CO(2)] stimulates the respiratory breakdown of carbohydrates, which provides increased energy and biochemical precursors for leaf expansion and growth at elevated [CO(2)]. While increased photosynthesis and carbohydrate production at elevated [CO(2)] are well documented, this research demonstrates that at the transcript and metabolite level, respiratory breakdown of starch is also increased at elevated [CO(2)].
Ainsworth
Elizabeth A
EA
United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service Photosynthesis Research Unit, Deparment of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61801, USA. ainswort@uiuc.edu
Rogers
Alistair
A
Vodkin
Lila O
LO
Walter
Achim
A
Schurr
Ulrich
U
D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D013025:Glycine max / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development
D002245:Carbon Dioxide