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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDNature Communications

Chloroplast genome editing of Rubisco boosts photosynthesis and plant growth

  • Wataru Yamori1,2
  • Issei Nakazato3,4,2
  • Yuchen Qu5,2
  • Yukina Sanga5,2
  • Tomoko Miyata6,7,8
  • Ryo Uehara9,10
  • Yuma Noto9,10
  • Keiichi Namba6,7,11
  • Hiroshi Fukayama12,13
  • Hiroyoshi Matsumura14,10
  • Shin‐ichi Arimura15,16
16 affiliations
  1. 1Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Institute for Sustainable Agri-ecosystem Services, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. [email protected]
  2. 2THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
  3. 3Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
  4. 4Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
  5. 5Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Institute for Sustainable Agri-ecosystem Services, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
  6. 6Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, The University of Osaka, Osaka, Japan
  7. 7JEOL YOKOGUSHI Research Alliance Laboratories, The University of Osaka, Osaka, Japan
  8. 8Osaka Universiy
  9. 9College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan
  10. 10Ritsumeikan University
  11. 11Osaka University
  12. 12Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
  13. 13Kobe University
  14. 14College of Life Sciences, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan. [email protected]
  15. 15Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. [email protected]
  16. 16The University of Tokyo
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Abstract

Photosynthetic inefficiencies limit the productivity and sustainability of crop production and the resilience of agriculture to future societal and environmental challenges. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) has inherently low catalytic efficiency, making it a key target for photosynthesis and crop improvement. However, introducing mutations to the chloroplast-encoded Rubisco large subunit ( rbc L), which contains the enzyme’s catalytic sites, is technically challenging. In this study, we successfully generated a range of chloroplast-genome-edited Arabidopsis thaliana plants targeting rbcL by a targeted base editor, ptpTALECD. The M309I and D397N substitutions in rbcL resulted in an increased Rubisco catalytic rate ( k cat ) without any reductions of Rubisco content, thereby enhancing photosynthetic rates and plant growth under both current atmospheric CO 2 concentrations (i.e., 381 μmol mol −1 ) and projected future concentrations (i.e., 549 μmol mol −1 ). Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structural analysis showed that the M309I and D397N substitutions, although located far from the catalytic site, induce structural alterations in the catalytic (60s) loops. Our findings highlight the potential of Rubisco engineering to improve plant photosynthesis and growth, and underscore the unique opportunities that chloroplast genome editing offers for enhancing photosynthesis and crop productivity and reducing atmospheric CO 2 levels in a non-GMO context.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{yamori2026chloroplast,
  title = {{Chloroplast genome editing of Rubisco boosts photosynthesis and plant growth}},
  author = {Wataru Yamori and Issei Nakazato and Yuchen Qu and Yukina Sanga and Tomoko Miyata and Ryo Uehara and Yuma Noto and Keiichi Namba and Hiroshi Fukayama and Hiroyoshi Matsumura and Shin‐ichi Arimura},
  journal = {Nature Communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-73783-w},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73783-w},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Chloroplast genome editing of Rubisco boosts photosynthesis and plant growth
AU  - Wataru Yamori
AU  - Issei Nakazato
AU  - Yuchen Qu
AU  - Yukina Sanga
AU  - Tomoko Miyata
AU  - Ryo Uehara
AU  - Yuma Noto
AU  - Keiichi Namba
AU  - Hiroshi Fukayama
AU  - Hiroyoshi Matsumura
AU  - Shin‐ichi Arimura
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/19
JO  - Nature Communications
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-026-73783-w
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73783-w
AB  - Photosynthetic inefficiencies limit the productivity and sustainability of crop production and the resilience of agriculture to future societal and environmental challenges. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) has inherently low catalytic efficiency, making it a key target for photosynthesis and crop improvement. However, introducing mutations to the chloroplast-encoded Rubisco large subunit ( rbc L), which contains the enzyme’s catalytic sites, is technically challenging. In this study, we successfully generated a range of chloroplast-genome-edited Arabidopsis thaliana plants targeting rbcL by a targeted base editor, ptpTALECD. The M309I and D397N substitutions in rbcL resulted in an increased Rubisco catalytic rate ( k cat ) without any reductions of Rubisco content, thereby enhancing photosynthetic rates and plant growth under both current atmospheric CO 2 concentrations (i.e., 381 μmol mol −1 ) and projected future concentrations (i.e., 549 μmol mol −1 ). Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structural analysis showed that the M309I and D397N substitutions, although located far from the catalytic site, induce structural alterations in the catalytic (60s) loops. Our findings highlight the potential of Rubisco engineering to improve plant photosynthesis and growth, and underscore the unique opportunities that chloroplast genome editing offers for enhancing photosynthesis and crop productivity and reducing atmospheric CO 2 levels in a non-GMO context.
SN  - 2041-1723
ER  -