Collaborative Research: Exploiting prokaryotic proteins to improve plant photosynthetic efficiency (EPP)

截光和将光同化物分配到主要粮食作物收获部分的效率似乎已得到充分优化。然而，通过减少在同步代谢过程中损失的同化碳的比例来提高光合作用的转换效率，仍然有很大的提高作物生产力的空间。一个这样的过程，光呼吸，原则上是完全可消耗的，但可以解释25%-50%的同化损失。这项建议的目的是在模式C3植物(烟草)的叶绿体中引入一种基于蓝藻羧体的二氧化碳浓缩机制，以减少或消除光呼吸。将通过几个研究小组的合作，采用多学科方法解决这一目标，每个研究小组在碳体遗传和组装、植物转化、光合作用系统建模以及整个植物及其组成部分光合作用过程的生理和生化特征等基本领域提供互补的专门知识。项目的进展和成果将提供给饲养者和科学界，数据将在项目网站、科学会议、利益攸关方活动和同行评议的出版物上提交。

The efficiency of light interception and of partitioning of photoassimilate into the harvested components of the major food crops appears to have been fully optimised. Nevertheless, there is still very significant scope for increasing crop productivity by increasing the conversion efficiency of photosynthesis by decreasing the proportion of assimilated carbon that is lost through simultaneous metabolic processes. One such process, photorespiration, is in principle completely expendable and yet can account for assimilate losses of 25-50%. The objective of this proposal is to introduce a cyanobacterial carboxysome-based CO2 concentrating mechanism into the chloroplasts of a model C3 plant (tobacco) in order to reduce, or eliminate, photorespiration. This objective will be addressed using a multidisciplinary approach, through the collaboration of several research groups, each contributing complementary expertise in the essential areas of carboxysome genetics and assembly, plant transformation, photosynthetic systems modelling and physiological and biochemical characterisation of whole plant and component photosynthetic processes. The progress and outcomes from the project will be made available to breeders and to the scientific community, with data being presented on the project website, at scientific meetings, at stakeholder events and in peer reviewed publications