Design and in vitro realization of carbon-conserving photorespiration

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1812605115
• Publication Date: 2018-11-20T16:25:40Z
• Authors: Devin L. Trudeau; Christian Edlich-...; Jan Zarzycki; Marieke Scheffen; Moshe Goldsmith; Olga Khersonsky; Ziv Avizemer; Sarel J. Fleishman; Charles A. R. Cotton; Tobias J. Erb; Dan S. Tawfik; Arren Bar-Even
• Keywords: Photorespiration; Realization (probability); Carbon fibers

Significance Photorespiration limits plant carbon fixation by releasing CO 2 and using cellular resources to recycle the product of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) oxygenation, 2-phosphoglycolate. We systematically designed synthetic photorespiration bypasses that combine existing new-to-nature enzymatic activities do not release . Our computational model shows these could enhance rate under a range physiological conditions. To realize bypasses, glycolate reduction module, which does exist in nature, is needed be engineered. By reshaping substrate cofactor specificity two natural enzymes, we established glycolaldehyde. With addition three observed recycling key Calvin Cycle intermediate ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate with no loss.