Algae evolved the same CO2-concentrating trick independently, many times
Ragunathan P, Lee Xin Hong A, Mueller-Cajar O
Crop Improvement
The pond scum and algal blooms you see on ponds and puddles are running a carbon-capture system so efficient that engineers now want to borrow its blueprint for boosting crop yields.
Inside many algae cells sits a tiny blob called a pyrenoid, which packs the CO2-absorbing enzyme Rubisco into one concentrated spot so it works faster and wastes less gas. Researchers found that completely unrelated algae species independently invented similar molecular glue proteins to build this blob, and some even wrap it in a starch or protein shell to keep the CO2 from escaping. Scientists want to copy this trick to help food crops photosynthesize more efficiently, which could mean bigger harvests using the same land.
Key Findings
Phylogenetically distant algae species independently evolved similar linker proteins that use Rubisco-binding motifs to concentrate the enzyme into a phase-separated droplet.
Starch sheaths and protein shells have evolved around pyrenoids in various algal lineages specifically to prevent CO2 from leaking out.
Pyrenoids represent convergent evolution of a biomolecular condensate that has arisen independently multiple times over billions of years.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists reviewed how algae build tiny internal compartments called pyrenoids that concentrate CO2 around a key enzyme, making photosynthesis far more efficient. Understanding this natural trick could help engineers boost crop photosynthesis and food production.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
First glimpses into the molecular kaleidoscope of pyrenoid diversity.
A significant proportion of global photosynthetic carbon fixation relies on the pyrenoid, a biomolecular condensate found in the chloroplast of most unicellular algae, where the CO2-fixing enzyme R...
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