title: Plastid transformation for Rubisco engineering and protocols for assessing expression.
abstract: The assimilation of CO2 within chloroplasts is catalyzed by the bi-functional enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, Rubisco. Within higher plants the Rubisco large subunit gene, rbcL, is encoded in the plastid genome, while the Rubisco small subunit gene, RbcS is coded in the nucleus by a multi-gene family. Rubisco is considered a poor catalyst due to its slow turnover rate and its additional fixation of O2 that can result in wasteful loss of carbon through the energy requiring photorespiratory cycle. Improving the carboxylation efficiency and CO2/O2 selectivity of Rubisco within higher plants has been a long-term goal which has been greatly advanced in recent times using plastid transformation techniques. Here we present experimental methodologies for efficiently engineering Rubisco in the plastids of a tobacco master-line and analyzing leaf Rubisco content.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Biology and Ecology, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
authors.forename: Spencer M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Whitney
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Sharwood
mesh_terms: D019470:Biolistics / Q000379:methods; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D015870:Gene Expression; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000166:cytology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000378:metabolism; D018087:Plastids / Q000235:genetics*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D032322:Solanum / Q000235:genetics*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; C101625:RbcL protein, plastid; D012273:Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase