title: C4 photosynthesis: 50 years of discovery and innovation.
abstract: It is now over half a century since the biochemical characterization of the C4photosynthetic pathway, and this special issue highlights the sheer breadth of current knowledge. New genomic and transcriptomic information shows that multi-level regulation of gene expression is required for the pathway to function, yet we know it to be one of the most dynamic examples of convergent evolution. Now, a focus on the molecular transition from C3-C4intermediates, together with improved mathematical models, experimental tools and transformation systems, holds great promise for improving C4photosynthesis in crops.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia Susanne.Caemmerer@anu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: von Caemmerer
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis and Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond NSW 2753, Australia.
authors.forename: Oula
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ghannoum
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Furbank
mesh_terms: D001901:Botany / Q000639:trends*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010802:Phylogeny
keywords: 14C pulse chase; C3–C4 intermediate species; C4 crops; C4 photosynthetic pathway; C4 rice project; CO2 fixation; Hal Hatch and Roger Slack; Kranz anatomy.; convergent evolution