Open AccessDistinct C 4 sub‐types and C 3 bundle sheath isolation in the Paniceae grasses
Author(s) -
Washburn Jacob D.,
Strable Josh,
Dickinson Patrick,
Kothapalli Satya S.,
Brose Julia M.,
Covshoff Sarah,
Conant Gavin C.,
Hibberd Julian M.,
Pires Joseph Chris
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plant direct
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.211
H-Index - 11
ISSN - 2475-4455
DOI - 10.1002/pld3.373
Subject(s) - rubisco , biology , enzyme , photosynthesis , c4 photosynthesis , botany , abundance (ecology) , vascular bundle , biochemistry , ecology
In C 4 plants, the enzymatic machinery underpinning photosynthesis can vary, with, for example, three distinct C 4 acid decarboxylases being used to release CO 2 in the vicinity of RuBisCO. For decades, these decarboxylases have been used to classify C 4 species into three biochemical sub‐types. However, more recently, the notion that C 4 species mix and match C 4 acid decarboxylases has increased in popularity, and as a consequence, the validity of specific biochemical sub‐types has been questioned. Using five species from the grass tribe Paniceae, we show that, although in some species transcripts and enzymes involved in multiple C 4 acid decarboxylases accumulate, in others, transcript abundance and enzyme activity is almost entirely from one decarboxylase. In addition, the development of a bundle sheath isolation procedure for a close C 3 species in the Paniceae enables the preliminary exploration of C 4 sub‐type evolution.