PS Seminar Series: From Mutant Screening to Gene Discovery: Exploring C4 Photosynthesis and Leaf Senescence in Setaria viridis
C4 photosynthesis is a highly efficient carbon assimilation pathway that contributes to the high productivity of major crops such as maize, sorghum, and sugarcane. Understanding the genetic mechanisms regulating C4 photosynthesis and leaf senescence is important for improving photosynthetic efficiency and crop productivity.
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ABSTRACT
C4 photosynthesis is a highly efficient carbon assimilation pathway that contributes to the high productivity of major crops such as maize, sorghum, and sugarcane. Understanding the genetic mechanisms regulating C4 photosynthesis and leaf senescence is important for improving photosynthetic efficiency and crop productivity.
Setaria viridis, a model C4 grass, provides a powerful system for investigating these mechanisms due to its short life cycle, small genome, and genetic tractability. We use mutant screening to identify genes involved in photosynthetic performance and leaf senescence. Through physiological and phenotypic characterization, we have identified mutants exhibiting altered photosynthetic traits and premature leaf senescence. By integrating physiological measurements with genetic and molecular analyses, we aim to identify candidate genes and investigate their roles in regulating photosynthesis and leaf longevity.
Linking mutant phenotypes to candidate genes will provide insights into the genetic regulation of C4 photosynthesis and leaf senescence, with potential applications for improving photosynthetic efficiency, functional stay-green traits, and crop productivity.
BIOGRAPHY
Hsiang-Chun Lin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy at National Taiwan University (NTU), Taiwan. She received her Ph.D. in Plant Biochemistry from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and subsequently worked as a researcher at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines for ten years before joining NTU in 2022.
Her research focuses on crop physiology, photosynthesis, and plant responses to environmental stresses. Using rice and Setaria viridis as model systems, her work integrates physiological, genetic, and high-throughput phenotyping approaches to investigate the regulation of photosynthesis, stomatal traits, and leaf senescence, with the goal of improving crop productivity and resilience to climate change.
Location
Eucalyptus Seminar Room,
Rm S205, Level 2,
RN Robertson Building (46)
Zoom webinar
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://anu.zoom.us/j/81396522863?pwd=fYFEvaPNuVpC0Yy9PyGwSPZ0tWjlQh.1
Webinar ID: 813 9652 2863
Passcode: 382751
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