Enhancing plant photosynthesis by engineering the carbon dioxide (CO2)-fixing enzyme Rubisco

提高作物更有效地利用水、阳光和肥料的能力将为澳大利亚带来经济效益，并减轻与农业实践有关的环境影响。光合作用研究已经证实，通过提高Rubisco蛋白的效率，这种改进在理论上是可能的。Rubisco蛋白可以将二氧化碳转化为生长所需的碳化合物。这里提出的生物技术研究利用独特的能力来提高我们对Rubisco影响其在植物中的组装和功能效率的结构特征的理解。这一知识将为将更有效的Rubisco移植到作物中以改善其生长铺平道路。

Improving the ability of crops to use water, sunlight and fertiliser more efficiently would have economic benefits for Australia and ease the environmental impacts associated with agricultural practices. Photosynthesis research has confirmed that such improvements are theoretically possible by enhancing the efficiency of the protein, Rubisco, which initiates the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon compounds required for growth. The biotechnological research proposed here uses unique capabilities to improve our understanding of structural features in Rubisco that influence its assembly and functional efficiency in plants. This knowledge will pave the way for transplanting more efficient Rubisco into crops to improve their growth.