The structure and function of cyanobacterial carboxysome multi-protein complexes and their role in carbon sequestration in cyanobacteria

蓝藻是全球光合作用的重要贡献者，并进化出从其水环境中捕获二氧化碳的独特机制。了解这些分子机制对于预测蓝藻如何在全球范围内影响碳固定，以及如何利用它们的遗传专门化来改善农业植物的光合作用都是重要的。该项目旨在研究这种专门化的一个特殊方面，即发生二氧化碳固定的多蛋白质羧体复合体。利用最近的全基因组信息，我们将采用蛋白质组学的方法来了解羧体的结构和功能，以及它如何对细胞的光合作用做出贡献。

Cyanobacteria are important contributors to global photosynthesis and have evolved unique mechanisms for capturing CO2 from their aquatic environments. Understanding these molecular mechanisms is important for both predicting how cyanobacteria affect carbon fixation at the global scale, and how their genetic specialisation may be used for improving photosynthesis in agricultural plants. This project aims to examine one particular aspect of this specialisation, the multi-protein carboxysome complex, where CO2 fixation occurs. Using recent whole-genome information we will take a proteogenomic approach to understanding the structure and function of the carboxysome and how it contributes to the photosynthesis of the cell.