title: C₄ photosynthesis: from evolutionary analyses to strategies for synthetic reconstruction of the trait.
abstract: C₄ photosynthesis represents the most productive modes of photosynthesis in land plants and some of the most productive crops on the planet, such as maize and sugarcane, and many ecologically important native plants use this type of photosynthesis. Despite its ecological and economic importance, the genetic basis of C₄ photosynthesis remains largely unknown. Even many fundamental aspects of C₄ biochemistry, such as the molecular identity of solute transporters, and many aspects of C₄ plant leaf development, such as the Kranz anatomy, are currently not understood. Here, we review recent progress in gaining a mechanistic understanding of the complex C₄ trait through comparative evolutionary analyses of C₃ and C₄ species.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences-CEPLAS, Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Alisandra K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Denton
authors.forename: Rüdiger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Andreas P M
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D019663:Chenopodiaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004798:Enzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D020412:Multifactorial Inheritance; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics*; D006109:Poaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase