We are investigating plant and algal photosynthesis, growth
and adaptation. We aim to understand how particular genetic,
biochemical and physiological attributes of plants contribute
to their performance in natural and agricultural environments.
Our 2 main areas of research
are:
how plants acquire inorganic carbon from the atmosphere and
use it for growth
how the mechanisms of photosynthesis are involved in the adaptation
of plants and algae to their environment and how they limit
the efficiency of growth.
An important long-term goal is to identify genetic information
that might be incorporated into crop species to improve their
performance in the atmospheric and agricultural environments of
the future. Tolerance of extreme conditions such as high temperature
and light, low water availability, and high carbon dioxide concentrations
will be crucial for future generations of crops.
Current Research
Phenomic analysis of CO2
acquisition by cyanobacteria - Dr
Dean Price
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) have evolved a very efficient
CO2 concentrating mechanism that makes
use of carboxysomes (micro-compartments for Rubisco) and several
active uptake systems for CO2 and HCO3-.
We are studying how cyanobacteria sense CO2
limitation and alter gene expression patterns and determining
the mechanistic details of active CO2 uptake.
Key approaches: Real-time PCR; defined mutants; mass spectrometry;
proteomics.
Rubisco is the gatekeeper of the biosphere's carbon cycle but
its properties seem curiously inefficient, limiting photosynthesis
and the size of the biosphere. Seeking reasons for this inefficiency,
we study Rubisco's catalytic mechanism and regulation using computational,
biochemical, spectroscopic and molecular techniques and we test
our findings by genetically manipulating Rubisco in plant chloroplasts.
We are studying the molecular and biochemical basis for aspects
of photosynthetic carbon fixation in both plants and cyanobacteria
using genomic and phenomic analysis.
Current projects include:
The genetic basis of photosynthetic capacity in plants
The diversity and evolution of the cyanobacterial CO2
concentrating mechanism
We are investigating aspects of carbon acquisition by plants
including the biochemistry of CO2 fixation
and regulation of CO2 diffusion into and
within leaves.
Current topics include:
Studies on the biochemical regulation of C3 and C4 photosynthesis
Physiological and molecular regulation of stomatal movement
