Efficient 2-phosphoglycolate degradation is required to maintain carbon assimilation and allocation in the C4 plant Flaveria bidentis.

ABSTRACT: Photorespiration is indispensable for oxygenic photosynthesis since it detoxifies and recycles 2-phosphoglycolate (2PG), which is the primary oxygenation product of Rubisco. However, C4 plant species typically display very low rates of photorespiration due to their efficient biochemical carbon-concentrating mechanism. Thus, the broader relevance of photorespiration in these organisms remains unclear. In this study, we assessed the importance of a functional photorespiratory pathway in the C4 plant Flaveria bidentis using knockdown of the first enzymatic step, namely 2PG phosphatase (PGLP). The isolated RNAi lines showed strongly reduced amounts of PGLP protein, but distinct signs of the photorespiratory phenotype only emerged below 5% residual PGLP protein. Lines with this characteristic w

SUBMITTER: Levey M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6322630 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature