Study Finds Missing Link in the Evolutionary History of Carbon-Fixing Protein Rubisco (IMAGE)

University of California - Davis

Study Finds Missing Link in the Evolutionary History of Carbon-Fixing Protein Rubisco

Caption

Rubisco is the most abundant enzyme on the planet. Present in plants, cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) and other photosynthetic organisms, it's central to the process of carbon fixation and is one of Earth's oldest carbon-fixing enzymes. Researchers at UC Davis and LBNL have now discovered an alternative form of rubisco in environmental samples. 3D images of the form I rubisco (left) compared to the newly discovered form I-prime (right). The discovery could help understand how the enzyme works and be used in plant breeding.

Credit

D. M. Banda et al, 2020

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