Abstract
Improving photosynthesis, the fundamental process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy, is a key area of research with great potential for enhancing sustainable agricultural productivity and addressing global food security challenges. This perspective delves into the latest advancements and approaches aimed at optimizing photosynthetic efficiency. Our discussion encompasses the entire process, beginning with light harvesting and its regulation and progressing through the bottleneck of electron transfer. We then delve into the carbon reactions of photosynthesis, focusing on strategies targeting the enzymes of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle. Additionally, we explore methods to increase carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration near the Rubisco, the enzyme responsible for the first step of CBB cycle, drawing inspiration from various photosynthetic organisms, and conclude this section by examining ways to enhance CO2 delivery into leaves. Moving beyond individual processes, we discuss two approaches to identifying key targets for photosynthesis improvement: systems modeling and the study of natural variation. Finally, we revisit some of the strategies mentioned above to provide a holistic view of the improvements, analyzing their impact on nitrogen use efficiency and on canopy photosynthesis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3944-3973 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Journal | The Plant cell |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| Early online date | 3 May 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists.
Funding
The authors thank Nan Eckardt for her support in organizing this perspective. The authors apologize to researchers whose important work was not cited due to space limitations. P.P. thanks Paul Hardy for a critical reading of the section on enhancing the efficacy of photosynthesis under field conditions. Work on improving photosynthesis in the R.C. lab was supported by the European Union\u2019s Horizon2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant 862201 CAPITALISE) and the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO\u2014TOP grant). Work on pale green barley mutants in lab of P.P. was supported by the European Union\u2019s Horizon Research and Innovation Actions under grant number 101082091\u2014BEST-CROP. Research on Rieske FeS by M.E. was supported by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis (CE140100015). Work in the laboratories of C.R. and L.T. was supported by the Realising Improved Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) initiative awarded to the University of Essex by University of Illinois, USA. RIPE was possible through support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, DFID, and FFAR, grant. This work was also supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) grants BB/ J004138/1, BB/H01960X/1, and BB/N021045/1 and the European Union\u2019s Horizon2020 Research and Innovation Programme (no. 862201) project CAPITALISE. T.L. also acknowledge support from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research council (BBSRC) grants; BB/S005080/1; BB/T004274/1; BB/PO27970/1. Work in the E.C.-S. lab was supported by the European Union\u2019s Horizon2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grants 862201 CAPITALISE and 862127 PhotoBoost); the project Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), which is funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Agricultural Innovations grant investment 57248, awarded to Lancaster University by the University of Illinois, USA; and the BBSRC funded BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme: Delivering Sustainable Wheat (DSW; grant BB/X011003/1). Work on engineering pCCMs into plants in lab of A.M. was supported by the BBSRC (grants BB/X018377/1 and BB/S015531/1), the Carbon Technology Research Foundation (grant AP23-1_023), and a joint award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) awarded to the University of Edinburgh by Princeton University, USA. Research on NPQ by D.P-T. and K.N. was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division under Field Work Proposal number 449B, and research on VPZ by D.P-T. and K.N. was supported by the project Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), that is funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Agricultural Innovations grant investment 57248, awarded to the University of California, Berkeley by the University of Illinois, USA. D.P-T. was supported by the Berkeley Fellowship and the National Science Fundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (grant DGE 1752814). K.K.N. is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Research in A.W. lab was supported by the European Union\u2019s H2020 research and innovation and the Horizon Europe Framework programme (grants GAIN4CROPS, GA No. 862087), and Horizon Europe Framework Programme (Boosting Photosynthesis to deliver novel crops for the circular bioeconomy - BEST-CROP, GA No. 101082091) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [Cluster of Excellence for Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) under Germany\u2019s Excellence Strategy EXC-2048/ 1 under project ID 390686111 and CRC TRR 341 \u201CPlant Ecological Genetics\u201D]. Conflict of interest statement. K.N. is an inventor on a patent \u201CTransgenic plants with increased photosynthesis efficiency and growth\u201D US20230183731A1, and K.N. and D.P.-T. are inventors on a patent application \u201CMethods of screening for plant gain of function mutations and compositions therefor\u201D US20230323480A1. All other authors declare no competing interests.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Basic Energy Sciences | |
| University of Edinburgh | |
| Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | |
| Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research | |
| Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft | |
| U.S. Department of Energy | |
| University of Illinois System | |
| Princeton University | |
| Department for International Development, UK Government | |
| Office of Science | |
| Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation | |
| Horizon 2020 | |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | |
| Howard Hughes Medical Institute | |
| Carbon Technology Research Foundation | AP23-1_023 |
| National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program | DGE 1752814 |
| HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme | GAIN4CROPS, 862087, 101082091 |
| Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences | US20230323480A1, 390686111, CRC TRR 341, EXC-2048/ 1, US20230183731A1 |
| Bill & Melinda Gates Agricultural Innovations | 57248, BB/X018377/1, BB/X011003/1, BB/S015531/1 |
| European Union’s Horizon2020 research and innovation programme | 862201 |
| Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council | BB/N021045/1, BB/S005080/1, BB/H01960X/1, BB/ J004138/1, BB/PO27970/1, 862127, BB/T004274/1 |
| Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division | 449B |
| ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis | CE140100015 |
| European Union’s Horizon Research and Innovation Actions | 101082091—BEST-CROP |