CERCA: Circular Economy That Reimagines Corn Agriculture

As part of our lab's broader research on manipulating protein content and composition in seeds, we are involved in a community effort focused on circular bioeconomics through the CERCA initiative. This initiative is dedicated to redesigning crops, like maize, to reduce their environmental impact while improving sustainability. Maize, bred for high productivity, is currently a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen pollution due to the intensive inputs required for its cultivation. One of the key inefficiencies in maize production is its low grain protein content and researchers are rethinking maize's genetic and agronomic design to make it a more sustainable crop. One goal within this framework is to reduce maize grain protein levels significantly, aiming for less than 4% protein content. This reduction would lower nitrogen demands and decrease waste. Our lab contributes to this effort by exploring a unique approach that aims to manipulate translation by targeting ribosomal proteins to reduce protein synthesis. Ribosomal proteins play a critical role in the translation of mRNA into proteins. By selectively targeting these proteins during seed maturation only, we plan to reduce overall seed protein synthesis. This strategy involves leveraging our understanding of ribosomal heterogeneity and translation plasticity to fine-tune protein output in seeds.