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Cellular Perspectives for Improving Mesophyll Conductance

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineReview articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>29/02/2020
<mark>Journal</mark>The Plant Journal
Issue number4
Volume101
Number of pages13
Pages (from-to)845-857
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date23/01/20
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

After entering the leaf, CO2 faces an intricate pathway to the site of photosynthetic fixation embedded within the chloroplasts. The efficiency of CO2 flux is hindered by a number of structural and biochemical barriers which, together, define the ease of flow of the gas within the leaf, termed mesophyll conductance. Previous authors have identified the key elements of this pathway, raising the prospect of engineering the system to improve CO2 flux and, thus, to increase leaf photosynthetic efficiency. In this review, we provide a perspective on the potential for improving the individual elements that contribute to this complex parameter. We lay particular emphasis on generation of the cellular architecture of the leaf which sets the initial boundaries of a number of mesophyll conductance parameters, incorporating an overview of the molecular transport processes which have been proposed as major facilitators of CO2 flux across structural boundaries along the pathway. The review highlights the research areas where future effort might be invested to increase our fundamental understanding of mesophyll conductance and leaf function and, consequently, to enable translation of these findings to improve the efficiency of crop photosynthesis.