Genome-Enabled Discovery of Carbon Sequestration Gene in Poplar
     An initial conceptual framework now exists for describing
how whole-plant processes such as source-sink relationships and
sink strength are influenced, and indeed regulated, at the
genetic level. Based on this hypothesis, we are leveraging the
Populus genome to discover genes important to the process of
carbon sequestration in plants and soils. We are focusing on the
identification of genes that control points for the flow and
anabolic transformations of carbon in roots, concentrating on
genes that favor increased sink activity and synthesis of
chemical forms that favor slow turnover rates of soil organic
matter. Our key approaches are de novo gene discovery,
comparative and functional genomics, transgenesis, high-
throughput metabolic phenotyping, and tissue-specific expression
profiling. We seek to enhance carbon allocation (i.e., the
movement of carbon into sink tissues) and partitioning (i.e.,
the deposition of carbon in various chemica