Changes in leaf photosynthesis of transgenic rice with silenced OsBP-73 gene

In comparison with its wild type (WT), the transgenic (TG) rice with silenced OsBP-73 gene had significantly lower plant height, grain number per panicle, and leaf net photosynthetic rate (P N). Also, the TG rice showed significantly lower chlorophyll (Chl), ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO), RuBPCO activase, and RuBP contents, photosystem 2 (PS2) photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm and ΔF/Fm'), apparent quantum yield of carbon assimilation (Φc), carboxylation efficiency (CE), photosynthetic electron transport and photophosphorylation rates as well as sucrose phosphate synthase activity, but higher intercellular CO2 concentration, sucrose, fructose, and glycerate 3-phosphate contents, and non-photochemical quenching of Chl fluorescence (NPQ). Thus the decreased P N in the TG rice leaves is related to both RuBP carboxylation and RuBP regeneration limitations, and the latter is a predominant limitation to photosynthesis.