Award details

Molecular physiology of photosynthesis and photorespiration and source/sink interactions

Reference	BBS/E/C/00011624
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Matthew Paul
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Rothamsted Research
Department	Rothamsted Research Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	168,481
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/1997
End date	31/03/1999
Duration	24 months

Abstract

The project aims to improve photosynthetic efficiency in plants and understand and circumvent internal feedback mechanisms that may impede this goal. This will be achieved throught the reduction of photorespiratory losses by the genetic manipulation of glycine decarboxylase activity and SHMT activity in tobacco and glycine decarboxylase activity in wheat; expression of maize SPS in wheat. Some background work is being carried out to determine which species are most likely to benefit from increased carbon fixation, with cereals appearing as the best candidates. Objectives 1996 Establish a method for measuring amino acids and for growing Arabidopsis in sand. Peform initial characterisation of transgenics with altered sugar-sensing characteristics grown under optimum growth conditions: measure hexokinase activity, amounts of carbohydrate, phosphorylated intermediates, amino acids and Rubisco activity as a prerequisite to examining what happens to these parameters when N or P are withdrawn from the growth medium and when the temperature is reduced. 1997 A full length antisense GDC construct will be produced. This will be used for wheat transformation. Photosynthetic and photorespiratory performance will be analysed in tobacco plants over expressing GDC and with antisense to SHMT. Transgenic wheat lines with over and under expression of the GDC P subunit will be characterized at the molecular, biochemical and physiological level. Transgenic wheat lines with expressing the maize SPS gene will be produced and characterized at the molecular and biochemical level.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Plant & Microbial Sciences (PMS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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