Introduction of a Synthetic CO2-fixing Photorespiratory Bypass into a Cyanobacterium   2013-020

ABSTRACT:

Global photosynthetic productivity is limited by the enzymatic assimilation of CO2 into organic carbon compounds. Ribulose-1,5- bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), the carboxylating enzyme of the Calvin-Benson (CB) cycle, poorly discriminates between CO2 and O2, leading to photorespiration and the loss of fixed carbon and nitrogen. With the advent of synthetic biology, it is now feasible to design, synthesize and introduce biochemical pathways in vivo.

Researchers at Berkeley Lab engineered a synthetic photorespiratory bypass based on the 3-hydroxypropionate bicycle into the model cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus sp. PCC 7942. The heterologously expressed cycle is designed to function as both a photorespiratory bypass and an additional CO2-fixing pathway, supplementing the CB cycle. We demonstrate the function of all six introduced enzymes and identify bottlenecks to be targeted in subsequent bioengineering. These results have implications for efforts to improve photosynthesis, and for the green production of high-value products of biotechnological interest.

For more information, see the researchers’ publication linked here and below.

STATUS: Patent pending. Available for licensing or collaborative research.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Shih, P. M., Zarzycki, J., Niyogi, K. K., Kerfeld, C. A. “Introduction of a Synthetic CO2-fixing Photorespiratory Bypass into a Cyanobacterium,” J. Biol. Chem., 289, 9493-9500, April 4, 2014.

REFERENCE NUMBER: 2013-020