Recent Posts

Understanding the role of metabolites in the evolution of C4 photosynthesis

Plants that use C4 photosynthesis, whereby carbon is concentrated around RuBisCo in bundle sheath cells, have high water and nitrogen use efficiencies. Thus, understanding how C4 photosynthesis evolves is of much interest. The Flaveria genus provides a unique opportunity for this, as it contains species…

Breakthrough in the identification of photosynthesis genes in green algae

Imagine the everyday delights of foods like bread, ramen, or sushi. Central to these culinary staples is starch, a product of the photosynthesis process in plants. Despite its critical role, people still do not fully understand the regulation and biogenesis of the photosynthesis machinery. In this study,…

Single-nucleus sequencing reveals transition from C3 to C4 photosynthesis

Sometime in the Cretaceous period (dinosaur time!), some monocots acquired a special pathway for carbon fixation, rendering them more efficient particularly in hot or dry environments. In most monocots, carbon is fixed by Rubisco in the mesophyll cells. In the innovative pathway, carbon fixation is split…

The enzyme that makes many algae brown

Cao and Bai et al. reveal a conserved enzyme that makes many algae appear brown as opposed to green typical of land plants. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad116 Graham Peers1, Martin Lohr2, Xiaobo Li3,4 1 Department of Biology, Colorado State University; Fort Collins, USA. 2 Institut für…

Improved soybean photosynthesis and yield by accelerating recovery from photoprotection

Enhancing crop yield for future food supplies involves increasing photosynthetic efficiency, which can be achieved by improving photoprotection through non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). NPQ enables leaves to dissipate excess absorbed light energy as heat, minimizing the negative effects of photodamage.…

Gaining cis-elements contributed to enhanced expression of C4 genes

C4 photosynthesis is derived from C3 photosynthesis. When related genes are compared, those involved in C4 photosynthesis tend to be more highly expressed. To understand this phenomenon, Singh et al. undertook a very impressive approach to look at transcriptional regulation of essentially all the photosynthetic…

Roots are the ‘kitchen’ for leafless epiphytic orchids

Photosynthesis is the major process which supports plant survival. It’s the kitchen serving food (sugars) to the plant by converting the light energy. Leaves are the major site of photosynthesis for most plants. However, certain plants evolved unconventional ways of performing photosynthesis. In a…

Recruiting the ATP-generating nanomotor in chloroplasts

Reiter et al. investigate the molecular basis for coupling factor CF1 recruitment in Arabidopsis thaliana. The Plant Cell (2022). By Thilo Rühle Background: Thylakoid ATP synthases are impressive molecular engines that harness the light-driven proton gradient to generate ATP during photosynthesis.…

Review: Photorespiration is the solution, not the problem

Rubisco (ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) is one of a kind, simultaneously recognized as one of the most abundant and important enzymes, and also widely characterized as flawed because it uses both O2 and CO2 as substrates, leading to both carboxylation and oxygenation of ribulose bisphosphate.…