photosynthesis-engineering
Photosynthesis engineering is the deliberate modification of photosynthetic pathways in plants to improve the efficiency, flexibility, or output of light-driven carbon fixation. By reprogramming how plants capture sunlight and convert it into biomass, researchers can explore alternative carbon concentration mechanisms and metabolic routes that evolved naturally in diverse lineages. This field holds significant promise for enhancing crop productivity, stress resilience, and our fundamental understanding of how plants balance energy acquisition with growth.
PubMed · 2026-03-01
Scientists used an advanced math tool to decode how two tropical plants switch between different modes of photosynthesis, then figured out which molecular 'switches' control that flexibility — opening the door to engineering drought-resilient crops.
The kernel-DMD method successfully distinguished the molecular network dynamics of C3-like photosynthesis in Clusia major versus strong CAM photosynthesis in Clusia rosea using time series multiome data.
Researchers identified specific biomarkers and molecular 'drivers' of photosynthetic plasticity that could serve as engineering targets for introducing CAM traits into C3 crop plants.
An in silico control strategy was implemented that could computationally phenocopy one Clusia species as the other, demonstrating that the transition between photosynthesis modes can be modeled and potentially directed.