What question did this study set out to answer?

To engineer the chloroplast-encoded Rubisco large subunit in Arabidopsis thaliana to increase the enzyme's catalytic efficiency and improve photosynthetic performance.

June 19, 2026Nature CommunicationsOpen Access

Chloroplast genome editing of Rubisco boosts photosynthesis and plant growth

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Authors

WYWataru YamoriThe University of Tokyo INIssei NakazatoThe University of Tokyo YQYuchen QuSoochow University

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Implication

Experimental study demonstrates enhanced photosynthesis and growth in Arabidopsis thaliana through Rubisco editing, highlighting new avenues for crop improvement.

Key Points

To engineer the chloroplast-encoded Rubisco large subunit in Arabidopsis thaliana to increase the enzyme's catalytic efficiency and improve photosynthetic performance.
Applied the chloroplast-targeted base editor ptpTALECD to introduce site-specific point mutations into the chloroplast rbcL gene of Arabidopsis thaliana.
Assessed Rubisco catalytic rate, photosynthetic activity, and plant growth phenotypes under ambient (381 μmol mol⁻¹) and projected future (549 μmol mol⁻¹) atmospheric CO₂ levels.
Characterized structural modifications in the engineered Rubisco enzyme using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).
The M309I and D397N substitutions in rbcL increased the Rubisco catalytic rate (kcat) without diminishing total Rubisco protein content.
Edited plants exhibited accelerated photosynthetic rates and biomass accumulation under both current (381 μmol mol⁻¹) and elevated (549 μmol mol⁻¹) CO₂ conditions.
Cryo-EM structural analysis revealed that the M309I and D397N mutations induced conformational changes within the catalytic 60s loops despite residing distant from the active site.

Cite This Study

Yamori et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9507a39183a61d30169e27 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73783-w

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Implication

Experimental study demonstrates enhanced photosynthesis and growth in Arabidopsis thaliana through Rubisco editing, highlighting new avenues for crop improvement.

Chloroplast genome editing of Rubisco boosts photosynthesis and plant growth

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Chloroplast genome editing of Rubisco boosts photosynthesis and plant growth

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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