Regulation and Evolution of C_4 Photosynthesis

摘要

C_4 photosynthesis evolved multiple times independently from ancestral C_3 photosynthesis in a broad range of flowering land plant families and in both monocots and dicots. The evolution of C_4 photosynthesis entails the recruitment of enzyme activities that are not involved in photosynthetic carbon fixation in C_3 plants to photosynthesis. This requires a different regulation of gene expression as well as a different regulation of enzyme activities in comparison to the C_3 context. Further,C_4 photosynthesis relies on a distinct leaf anatomy that differs from that of C_3, requiring a differential regulation of leaf development in C_4.We summarize recent progress in the understanding of C_4-specific features in evolution and metabolic regulation in the context of C_4 photosynthesis.