Schlüter Urte, Weber Andreas P M
Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Cluster of Excellence on Plant Science (CEPLAS), Heinrich-Heine-University, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Plant Cell Physiol. 2016 May;57(5):881-9. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcw009. Epub 2016 Feb 17.
C4 photosynthesis enables high photosynthetic energy conversion efficiency as well as high nitrogen and water use efficiencies. Given the multitude of biochemical, structural and molecular changes in comparison with C3 photosynthesis, it appears unlikely that such a complex trait would evolve in a single step. C4 photosynthesis is therefore believed to have evolved from the ancestral C3 state via intermediary stages. Consequently, the identification and detailed characterization of plant species representing transitory states between C3 and C4 is important for the reconstruction of the sequence of evolutionary events, especially since C4 evolution occurred in very different phylogenetic backgrounds. There is also significant interest in engineering of C4 or at least C4-like elements into C3 crop plants. A detailed and mechanistic understanding of C3-C4 intermediates is likely to provide guidance for the experimental design of such approaches. Here we provide an overview on the most relevant results obtained on C3-C4 intermediates to date. Recent knowledge gains in this field will be described in more detail. We thereby concentrate especially on biochemical and physiological work. Finally, we will provide a perspective and outlook on the continued importance of research on C3-C4 intermediates.
C4光合作用能够实现较高的光合能量转换效率以及较高的氮和水分利用效率。与C3光合作用相比，鉴于存在众多生化、结构和分子变化，这样一个复杂的性状似乎不太可能一步进化而来。因此，人们认为C4光合作用是从祖先的C3状态经由中间阶段进化而来的。所以，鉴定和详细表征代表C3和C4之间过渡状态的植物物种对于重建进化事件序列很重要，特别是因为C4进化发生在非常不同的系统发育背景中。将C4或至少类似C4的元件导入C3作物中也备受关注。对C3-C4中间类型进行详细的机制性理解可能会为这类方法的实验设计提供指导。在此，我们概述了迄今为止在C3-C4中间类型上获得的最相关结果。该领域最近取得的知识进展将更详细地进行描述。我们尤其关注生化和生理学方面的研究工作。最后，我们将对C3-C4中间类型研究的持续重要性给出展望。
