Sorghum, an African grass related to sugar cane and maize, is grown for food, feed, fibre
and fuel. We present an initial analysis of the ∼730-megabase Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench …

The C4 photosynthetic carbon cycle is an elaborated addition to the C3 photosynthetic
pathway. It evolved as an adaptation to high light intensities, high temperatures, and dryness. …

C 4 photosynthesis depends on the strict compartmentalization of CO 2 assimilatory enzymes.
cis-regulatory mechanisms are described that ensure mesophyll-specific expression of …

C 4 photosynthesis involves alterations to the biochemistry, cell biology, and development of
leaves. Together, these modifications increase the efficiency of photosynthesis, and despite …

Pyruvate serves as a metabolic precursor for many plastid-localized biosynthetic pathways,
such as those for fatty acids 1 , terpenoids 2 and branched-chain amino acids 3 . In spite of …

Selective pressure exerted by a massive decline in atmospheric CO 2 levels 55 to 40 million
years ago promoted the evolution of a novel, highly efficient mode of photosynthetic carbon …

Next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have opened fascinating opportunities for
the analysis of plants with and without a sequenced genome on a genomic scale. During the …

10.7554/eLife.02478.001 C 4 photosynthesis represents a most remarkable case of
convergent evolution of a complex trait, which includes the reprogramming of the expression …

Background Sorghum is the first C4 plant and the second grass with a full genome sequence
available. This makes it possible to perform a whole-genome-level exploration of C4 …

An ultimate goal of evolutionary biology is the prediction and experimental verification of
adaptive trajectories on macroevolutionary timescales. This aim has rarely been achieved for …