Understanding algal CO₂ fixation to guide improvements in plant yields

Context

Photosynthesis harnesses energy from sunlight to drive the fixation of CO₂ into the organic carbon building blocks of life. Eukaryotic algae and cyanobacteria play fundamental roles in global biogeochemical cycles, yet there are still substantial gaps in our knowledge of how they acquire their CO₂.

The research

The Mackinder Lab research focuses on how photosynthetic microbes efficiently transport CO₂ from their surrounding environment and concentrate it in the proximity of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) - the principle carbon fixing enzyme. We use high-throughput, systems biology approaches to rapidly identify key components of this CO₂ concentrating mechanism (CCM). These data are used to guide the engineering of a CCM in higher plants to improve photosynthetic performance.