Revisiting RuBisCO

Rubisco, Rubisco activase, and global climate change.

Global warming and the rise in atmospheric CO(2) will increase the operating temperature of leaves in coming decades, often well above the thermal optimum for photosynthesis. Presently, there is controversy over the limiting processes controlling photosynthesis at elevated temperature. Leading models propose that the reduction in photosynthesis at elevated temperature is a function of either de...

Rubisco in complex with Rubisco large subunit methyltransferase.

SET domain protein lysine methyltransferases (PKMT) are a structurally unique class of enzymes that catalyze the specific methylation of lysine residues in a number of different substrates. Especially histone-specific SET domain PKMTs have received widespread attention because of their roles in the regulation of epigenetic gene expression and the development of some cancers. Rubisco large subun...

Photosynthesis: Rubisco rescue.

The sunlight-driven conversion of carbon dioxide into organic matter fuels nearly all life on Earth. The enzyme Rubisco catalyses the fixation of carbon dioxide in photosynthesis, and thereby serves as the entry point for inorganic carbon into the biosphere. Rubisco limits biomass accumulation when sunlight is plentiful, and has therefore been heavily targeted in bioengineering efforts to boost...

Rubisco surprises in dinoflagellates.

Rubisco Assembly in the Chloroplast

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the Calvin-Benson cycle, which transforms atmospheric carbon into a biologically useful carbon source. The slow catalytic rate of Rubisco and low substrate specificity necessitate the production of high levels of this enzyme. In order to engineer a more efficient plant Rubisco, we need to better unders...