Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Project

Our final #ICPR26 award talk is from Tracy Lawson @proftlawson.bsky.social, this year's recipient of the ISPR Innovation award 🏆 Awarded for outstanding achievements to the transfer of photosynthesis research to society 🌎🌱👏👏 @ripeproject.bsky.social

#ICPR26 Plenaries continuing this morning with Lisa Ainsworth, Angad Mehta & Jaideep Mathur Taking us from canopies & future atmospheres to engineering artificial photosynthetic life forms to plastids & dynamic plant stress repsonses 🫘🌱> 🧪 > 🔬 @ibioillinois.bsky.social @ripeproject.bsky.social

In a recent study, Ben Haas outlines a new fluorescence assay for studying small regulatory elements called upstream open reading frames (uORFs). Read the full press release here: ripe.illinois.edu/press/press-...

In a recent study featured in Plant Physiology, RIPE investigators Julia Walter and Wanne Kromdijk explore the function of the antenna protein CP26. ripe.illinois.edu/press/press-...

Well done to PhD student Connor Nehls, @ecarmosilva.bsky.social and @doug-orr.bsky.social on new work out in @jxbotany.bsky.social on Rubisco dark inhibition. See the release here by @ripeproject.bsky.social www.linkedin.com/posts/ripepr...

Using controlled genetic approaches, RIPE researchers altered soybean leaf shape and found that narrower leaves can improve how efficiently plants use available light. This work was led by RIPE researchers Bishal Tamang and Lisa Ainsworth. Read about it here: go.illinois.edu/ripenews

RIPE Researchers, in work done for the CABBI Project, demonstrated that increasing the Rubisco enzyme in C4 crops like sorghum and sugar cane increases photosynthesis and yield as well! Their work was published in the National Academy of Sciences proceedings.

Tracy Lawson's fascination with plants started as a child on an English farm & recently brought the globally recognized expert in plant biology across the pond to Illinois! Tracy talks about her research & what she's looking forward to most in this new feature! bit.ly/4jfguQQ

The Microbiologist recently featured Yong-Su Jin’s work to modify bacteria to convert carbon dioxide into useful products by combining algae’s photosynthetic properties with bacteria’s production capabilities, overcoming a costly limitation faced by previous strategies.

RIPE team members have developed an R package for curve fitting that enables users to build analysis pipelines for fitting photosynthetic gas exchange data. Read more about PhotoGEA in @PlantCell&Environment: doi.org/10.1111/pce....

Increased Rubisco for better C4 photosynthesis www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1... @ripeproject.bsky.social

A RIPE team determined that a crucial soybean photosynthesis improvement with traditional breeding methods is unlikely. Gene editing could be the key to unlocking soybean potential. Their work was published in @theplantjournal.bsky.social Article: doi.org/10.1111/tpj.... Story: bit.ly/4iAM0ZN

Excited to share that I'll soon be recruiting a 3 year postdoc to join the lab @lancasterplantbio.bsky.social to work with me on Rubisco biochemistry and engineering. Official advertising details to be released very soon, watch this space! Please spread the word. 😀🌱🧪🥼

WE’RE HIRING! Funded 3-year postdoc looking at the impact of chilling on maize 🌽 The project will be looking at chilling responses in roots and shoots 🌱❄️ including the role of ABA and photoinhibition. Applications close 28th March. More details below www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/50591/

RIPE researchers from @lancasteruni.bsky.social wrote a chapter in the latest volume of Methods in Enzymology, providing a protocol for using radiometric assays to measure Rubisco in plant leaves. Read more about their work here: bit.ly/3XzXW5h

Our home institute, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, flipped the script on our communications manager Allie, interviewing her for a recent feature story! Read about her journey in science communications here: bit.ly/3QNvAkk

Connecting detailed photosynthetic kinetics to #crop growth and yield: A coupled #modeling framework 📰 Story: buff.ly/42b5Xki via @Botany.One 🔬 Research: buff.ly/4czuZfm

This semester, RIPE will be joined by Maria Raza as our science communication intern! Maria will work with our team to share RIPE research news and also participate in mentorship and career preparation experiences. Welcome to the team, Maria! Read more about her here: bit.ly/3XbypiO

Check out this @sciam.bsky.social article about our ‘Hot Potato’ research! bit.ly/4hYOX5z @kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social, @cavycavs.bsky.social, @plantnerd.bsky.social, @illinoisresearch.bsky.social @universityofessex.bsky.social

We are thrilled to announce RIPE’s new leadership duo! Lisa Ainsworth is our Director & Elizabete Carmo-Silva is our Deputy Director! Both Lisa & Elizabete have been with the project for years & we look forward to what we can accomplish under their guidance. Full announcement here: bit.ly/42UuCtW

We are looking for a team member to provide maintenance & management of our pool of LiCOR devices at Illinois. Work will take place in lab, greenhouse, & field settings. Additional details can be found here: bit.ly/4hXUGbI Deadline to apply is March 13 at 6pm (CST). @li-corenv.bsky.social

Science does not move forward without the invaluable contributions of women. Today we celebrate the incredible women on the RIPE team and all of those shaping the future of research. #EveryVoiceInScience @cavycavs.bsky.social @meganlmatthews.bsky.social @lancasteruni.bsky.social

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝟏𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 👩‍🔬 www.un.org/en/observanc... "Let’s help pave a path to STEM careers that women and girls deserve, and our world needs" UN Secretary-General António Guterres 🌿🔬🚀⚛️

Are you a non-UK scientist interested in working in the UK for a postdoc? A Royal Society Newton Fellowship could be just what you are looking for! We can support applicants interested in working on photosynthetic responses to climate change. Please get in touch! royalsociety.org/grants/newto...

After decades of impactful & prolific research, Steve Long & Don Ort are retiring from their RIPE leadership roles. bit.ly/4hEKDIA We are honored to have worked under them for the last 12 years & are elated they will continue RIPE work as principal investigators. We wish them all the best!

Read about the latest in genomics research from our home institute, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology! There are a couple of RIPE features in this year’s Biomarker, and we can even help you out with page 61! bit.ly/49ALtmQ

“The reason we focus on photosynthesis is because we want to try to improve crop production without added inputs and without needing more land,” @kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social in a recent interview with @jtsangwrites.bsky.social for Advanced Science News. Read the full article here: bit.ly/3WsKbEW

David Hong, RIPE's science communication intern last semester, recently reflected on what he learned as a member of the RIPE team and his internship experience. bit.ly/3PDT9vq Thank you, David, for all your hard work, and best of luck in your future endeavors! @giesbusiness.bsky.social

**COMMUNITY FEEDBACK REQUIRED** We're going to run some workshops for early career researchers at a #plantscience meeting later this year. If you're an ECR, what topics would you like to see covered? What would be the most useful things to hear about for you? Reply here... 🧪 🌳 🌱 (please share)

The deadline for our RIPE Data Manager position is this Thursday (1/16)! More information about the role can be found here: bit.ly/3VMBuoO All RIPE openings can be found here: ripe.illinois.edu/team/join-ou...

Discover our animal sessions for Antwerp 2025 🐰🙊🐭: www.sebiology.org/events/seb-a... The abstract submission deadline is Midnight (GMT) on Friday 7 March 2025. Submit now: sebiology.org/events/seb-a... Check out our sessions: sebiology.org/events/seb-a...

RIPE currently has three openings to join our Illinois team! We are looking for a Data Manager, a Postdoc in the Lawson Lab, and a Science Communication Intern. More information about all of the positions can be found on our website: ripe.illinois.edu/team/join-ou... #plantscijobs

We are delighted to announce that the abstract submission for the #SEBconference Antwerp 2025 is now open. The abstract submission deadline is Midnight (GMT) on Friday 7 March 2025. Submit now: www.sebiology.org/events/seb-a... Check out our sessions: www.sebiology.org/events/seb-a...

Check out this awesome CRISPR review written by RIPE team member Tonio Chaparro!

“His groundbreaking findings have expanded interest in photosynthetic research around the world.” - A quote from the Daily Illini’s feature on our Steve Long as part of their ‘UI’s Most Influential’ series. Read the full story here: bit.ly/400JfsC

Happy New Year from all of us at RIPE! We look forward to collaborating with you in 2025!

Topping our 2024 Countdown: A RIPE team used CRISPR/Cas9 to alter photosynthesis in rice by changing its upstream DNA. This was the first approach to increase gene expression & downstream photosynthetic activity. Article in Science Advances: https://buff.ly/4iIGjJF Story: https://buff.ly/4iIGmVR

A “How-to guide” for gas exchange techniques was coauthored by a number of RIPE team members and alums. The review, written for beginner and experienced researchers, was published in Plant, Cell & Environment and comes in at #2 on our 2024 countdown! Review: https://buff.ly/4iF5GMx

#3 in our 2024 countdown is an article from the cover of Plant Biotechnology Journal! Researchers proved in a model crop that an increase in mesophyll conductance could be engineered & that it leads to an increase in photosynthesis! Article: https://buff.ly/3P4O3YG Story: https://buff.ly/403oqhe

Coming in at #4 for 2024, is a Plant, Cell & Environment article showing that reducing chlorophyll levels in seed-filling stages results in higher seed nitrogen without impacting canopy carbon assimilation. Article: https://buff.ly/4iF5GMx Story: https://buff.ly/3ZZWMlj

We are counting down the top RIPE stories of the year! Starting off at #5 for 2024 is an article published in in silico plants that tied dynamic photosynthetic pathways directly to crop growth for the first time! Journal article: https://buff.ly/4czuZfm News release: https://buff.ly/3P4eXAf

RIPE is looking for a Data Manager! This entry-level position will work directly with our researchers on all things data. Full responsibilities, qualifications, & how to apply: bit.ly/3VMBuoO Deadline to apply is January 16th! Applications must be submitted through the Illinois job portal.

Climate-ready crop RIPE team shows increase in food mass through photorespiratory bypass in elevated temperatures 📰 https://botany.one/2024/12/climate-ready-crop/ 🔬 https://doi.org/nw8r @ripeproject.bsky.social @kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social @cavycavs.bsky.social @sjb287.bsky.social

Christmas dinners of the future are safe now scientists have created climate-change resistant roast potatoes. The team from the School of Life Sciences and @ripeproject.bsky.social have developed a crop that is more resistant to growth in extreme temperatures. www.essex.ac.uk/news/2024/12...

In an invited #TansleyReview, RIPE researchers discuss strategies to increase Rubisco content as part of short- and long-term efforts to meet the growing global food demand. Review: doi.org/10.1111/nph.... News story: bit.ly/3ZUlXFY @newphyt.bsky.social @illinoisresearch.bsky.social

RIPE researchers, traveling on behalf of their home institution and our partner @csiro.bsky.social, are in West Africa showcasing their work to improve cowpea production in the region! Read more about their research to protect African cowpea from insect pests here: bit.ly/3DaKTzY

Over 3 pandemic summers @kmeacham-hensold.bsky.social led a fabulous team characterizing a photorespiratory bypass in field-grown potato, giving us more evidence that manipulating PR can enhance crop thermotolerance! Out today : onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/oidcS... @globalchangebio.bsky.social