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Condensation of Rubisco into a proto-pyrenoid in higher plant chloroplasts

Author

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  • Nicky Atkinson

    (School of Biological Sciences, King’s Buildings, University of Edinburgh)

  • Yuwei Mao

    (School of Biological Sciences, King’s Buildings, University of Edinburgh)

  • Kher Xing Chan

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Alistair J. McCormick

    (School of Biological Sciences, King’s Buildings, University of Edinburgh)

Abstract

Photosynthetic CO2 fixation in plants is limited by the inefficiency of the CO2-assimilating enzyme Rubisco. In most eukaryotic algae, Rubisco aggregates within a microcompartment known as the pyrenoid, in association with a CO2-concentrating mechanism that improves photosynthetic operating efficiency under conditions of low inorganic carbon. Recent work has shown that the pyrenoid matrix is a phase-separated, liquid-like condensate. In the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, condensation is mediated by two components: Rubisco and the linker protein EPYC1 (Essential Pyrenoid Component 1). Here, we show that expression of mature EPYC1 and a plant-algal hybrid Rubisco leads to spontaneous condensation of Rubisco into a single phase-separated compartment in Arabidopsis chloroplasts, with liquid-like properties similar to a pyrenoid matrix. This work represents a significant initial step towards enhancing photosynthesis in higher plants by introducing an algal CO2-concentrating mechanism, which is predicted to significantly increase the efficiency of photosynthetic CO2 uptake.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicky Atkinson & Yuwei Mao & Kher Xing Chan & Alistair J. McCormick, 2020. "Condensation of Rubisco into a proto-pyrenoid in higher plant chloroplasts," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-20132-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20132-0
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    Cited by:

    1. Shey-Li Lim & Sabrina Flütsch & Jinhong Liu & Luca Distefano & Diana Santelia & Boon Leong Lim, 2022. "Arabidopsis guard cell chloroplasts import cytosolic ATP for starch turnover and stomatal opening," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.

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