2026-06-19 東京大学
本研究のイメージ図
葉緑体ゲノム編集による高機能Rubiscoの創出で光合成と植物生産性の向上に成功© ウチダヒロコ
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp/topics/topics_20260619-2.html
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-73783-w
ルビスコの葉緑体ゲノム編集は光合成と植物の成長を促進する Chloroplast genome editing of Rubisco boosts photosynthesis and plant growth
Wataru Yamori,Issei Nakazato,Yuchen Qu,Yukina Sanga,Tomoko Miyata,Ryo Uehara,Yuma Noto,Keiichi Namba,Hiroshi Fukayama,Hiroyoshi Matsumura & Shin-ichi Arimura
Nature Communications Published:19 June 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73783-w
Abstract
Photosynthetic inefficiencies limit the productivity and sustainability of crop production and the resilience of agriculture to future societal and environmental challenges. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) has inherently low catalytic efficiency, making it a key target for photosynthesis and crop improvement. However, introducing mutations to the chloroplast-encoded Rubisco large subunit (rbcL), which contains the enzyme’s catalytic sites, is technically challenging. In this study, we successfully generate a range of chloroplast-genome-edited Arabidopsis thaliana plants targeting rbcL by a targeted base editor, ptpTALECD. The M309I and D397N substitutions in rbcL result in an increased Rubisco catalytic rate (kcat) without any reductions of Rubisco content, thereby enhancing photosynthetic rates and plant growth under both current atmospheric CO2 concentrations (i.e., 381 μmol mol−1) and projected future concentrations (i.e., 549 μmol mol−1). Cryo-electron microscopy structural analysis shows that the M309I and D397N substitutions, although located far from the catalytic site, induce structural alterations in the catalytic (60 s) loops. Our findings highlight the potential of Rubisco engineering to improve plant photosynthesis and growth, and underscore the unique opportunities that chloroplast genome editing offers for enhancing photosynthesis and crop productivity and reducing atmospheric CO2 levels in a non-GMO context.
