Regulation of Rubisco activity in crops

Abstract

SummaryEfficient plant acclimation to changing environmental conditions relies on fast adjustments of the transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome. Regulation of enzyme activity depends on the activity of specific chaperones, chemical post‐translational modifications (PTMs) of amino acid residues, and changes in the cellular and organellar microenvironment. Central to carbon assimilation, and thus plant growth and yield, Rubisco activity is regulated by its chaperone Rubisco activase (Rca) and by adjustments in the chloroplast stroma environment. Focused on crops, this review highlights the main PTMs and stromal ions and metabolites affecting Rubisco and Rca in response to environmental stimuli. Rca isoforms differ in regulatory properties and heat sensitivity, with expression changing according to the surrounding environment. Much of the physiological relevance of Rubisco and Rca PTMs is still poorly understood, though some PTMs have been associated with Rubisco regulation in response to stress. Ion and metabolite concentrations in the chloroplast change in response to variations in light and temperature. Some of these changes promote Rubisco activation while others inhibit activation, deactivate the enzyme, or change the rates of catalysis. Understanding these regulatory mechanisms will aid the development of strategies to improve carbon fixation by Rubisco under rapidly changing environments as experienced by crop plants.

Flexible Matrices for the Encapsulation of Plant Wearable Sensors: Influence of Geometric and Color Features on Photosynthesis and Transpiration

“…Oxygenic photosynthesis is the process through which solar energy is converted into chemical energy and used to reduce carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into organic compounds. The produced carbohydrates are then exported to satisfy the metabolic needs of the non-photosynthetic cells of the plant, thus ensuring plant growth and development [ 22 , 23 ].…”

“…Moreover, high-energy electrons and protons are used to convert NADP+ to NADPH. During the dark phase, also named carbon fixation reactions, NADPH and ATP are used as a reducing power and source of energy, respectively, to drive the conversion of CO 2 to carbohydrates [ 22 ].…”

Regulatory mechanisms of plant rhizobacteria on plants to the adaptation of adverse agroclimatic variables

“…Enhanced photosynthetic pigments and the expression of important genes (RBCS and RBCL) regulating RUBISCO activities during stress condition (Sherin et al, 2022;Amaral et al, 2023). By modulating ion homeostasis, redox potential, photosynthetic CO 2 assimilation rate, and the expression of stress-related genes, maize plants inoculated with Serratia liquefaciens KM4 revealed enhanced growth and stress tolerance (El-Esawi et al, 2018).…”

Improving Crop Yield through Increasing Carbon Gain and Reducing Carbon Loss

“…Even though the fundamental roles of Rubisco remain consistent within the photosynthetic pathway, the catalytic efficiency shows variability across species as variations influence it in the Rubisco subunits. Harnessing different types of Rubisco sources, each with unique abilities to catalyze and bind CO 2 , could enhance plant photosynthesis and improve the efficiency of C 3 photosynthesis [39]. An approach involves the development of a hybrid Rubisco through the replacement of either larger or smaller units of native Rubisco with more effective subunits sourced from different species.…”