Flat_Leaf · How to grow a flat leaf?

How to grow a flat leaf?

Photosynthetic organisms, including plants, transform light from the Sun into organic materials, capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. As such, plants are key in the fight against global warming. Moreover, biomass produced by photosynthesis is the base of all trophic chains, providing us with food and multiple materials. In most plant species photosynthesis occurs predominantly in the leaves, which capture light and exchange CO2 and oxygen with the atmosphere. One conserved feature of leaves is their flat shape. This shape allows them to efficiently capture light, minimizing weight, and optimizes carbon and water flux for photosynthesis. However, under certain environmental conditions, flat growth is not optimal. For instance, under high irradiance conditions reducing light interception is beneficial to prevent photoinhibition. Concomitantly, leaf flattening depends on the light environment. The red light receptors phytochromes (PHY) promote leaf curling when they are active, and promote leaf flattening when they are inactive, for example when light is scarce due to shading by other plants. On the contrary, the blue light receptors phototropins (PHOT) are required to grow flat leaves. The general aim of this project is to understand when, where and how the developing leaf perceives environmental signals, and how photoreceptors affect cell differentiation and tissue patterning in order to control flattening. Our results showed that plants monitor light direction throughout their development, and in turn control their curvature, which could improve photosynthesis in natural light environments. The blue light receptors phototropins (PHOT) perceive light direction and regulate leaf shape accordingly. We identified molecular mechanisms used by PHOT to achieve this, which ultimately control plant hormones and cell growth.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз