NEWS Rubisco is one of the most important enzymes on Earth. Although it enables plants to convert carbon dioxide into biomass, it works slowly and often makes mistakes. Researchers now aim to uncover the hidden mechanisms that govern the enzyme’s reactions, with the goal of developing crops that grow better and capture more carbon dioxide.
Johannes Messinger, Professor at the Department of Plant Physiology.
ImageMattias Pettersson“By understanding what controls the function of Rubisco, we hope to develop improved variants that can contribute to both more sustainable agriculture and increased carbon capture. We will do this by combining a range of advanced research methods, and we hope that our findings can also be applied to the design of entirely new and more efficient enzymes in other fields,” says Johannes Messinger, professor at the Department of Plant Physiology at Umeå University.
Enzymes are nature’s own catalysts, driving the chemical reactions on which life depends. Rubisco plays a particularly vital role because, during photosynthesis, it converts carbon dioxide from the air into carbohydrates. Despite its importance, the enzyme is relatively inefficient. One explanation is that Rubisco evolved billions of years ago, before oxygen was present in Earth’s atmosphere.
In this project, the researchers will investigate a lesser-known aspect of the enzyme’s function. The focus is on how changes far from the site where the reaction itself takes place can influence how effectively the enzyme performs. Previous studies, together with the researchers’ own preliminary findings, suggest that such long-range effects may be crucial to improving Rubisco’s performance.
To explore this, the research team will use a combination of advanced techniques, including cryo-electron microscopy, neutron scattering, mass spectrometry, molecular genetics methods and advanced computer simulations. Together, these approaches will provide a more detailed understanding of the factors that govern the enzyme’s function.
If successful, the knowledge gained could be used to develop faster and more accurate variants of Rubisco. Such enzymes could be introduced into crops to enhance growth and improve plants’ ability to capture carbon dioxide. The findings may also pave the way for the future design of entirely new enzymes with applications in biotechnology and sustainable innovation.