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Enhancing photosynthetic CO2 use efficiency in rice: approaches and challenges

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Abstract

It is estimated that 925 million people mainly in developing countries suffer from malnutrition due to food shortage. This situation will deteriorate as world population will reach 9 billion by 2050. It is obvious that current rate of increase in crop yields is not sufficient to solve the problem of food security worldwide, especially in Asia, where at least 50 % increase in rice yield is needed to satisfy the increasing population. Depending on advanced development of modern biotechnology, several strategies have been provided for ‘supercharging’ photosynthesis to increase rice yield. In this review, we updated four major approaches: namely improving the performance of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), establishment of photorespiratory bypass, installing single-cell and two-celled C4 photosynthesis. The first approach aimed at direct manipulation of Rubisco for more efficient catalytic character by directed molecular evolution. The second approach focused on reducing the loss of photorespiratory CO2 by direct manipulation of photorespiratory pathway. The last two concentrated on introduction of C4 pathway into rice, based on the observation that the efficiency of C4 photosynthesis is 50 % higher than that of C3 photosynthesis.

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Abbreviations

2-PG:

2-Phosphoglycolate

3-PGA:

3-Phosphoglycerate

BS:

Bundle sheath

CA:

Carbonic anhydrase

GCL:

Glyoxylate carboligase

GDC:

Glycine decarboxylase

GDH:

Glycolate dehydrogenase

GO:

Glycolate oxidase

HI:

Harvest index

MS:

Mesophyll

NADP-ME:

NADP-malic enzyme

NADP-MDH:

NADP-malate dehydrogenase

OAA:

Oxaloacetate

PEPC:

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase

PEPCK:

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

PPDK:

Pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase

Rubisco:

Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase

RuBP:

Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate

RUE:

Photosynthetically active radiation use efficiency

TSR:

Tartronic semialdehyde reductase

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars by State Education Ministry of P. R. China (No. 2011-1139) and the Talent Introduction Project of Hebei University (No. 2010-185) for funding.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, People’s Republic of China

    Zheng Liu

  2. The Affiliated School of Hebei Baoding Normal, Baoding, 071000, People’s Republic of China

    Ning Sun

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  1. Zheng Liu
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  2. Ning Sun
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Correspondence to Zheng Liu.

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Communicated by A. K. Kononowicz.

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Liu, Z., Sun, N. Enhancing photosynthetic CO2 use efficiency in rice: approaches and challenges. Acta Physiol Plant 35, 1001–1009 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-012-1171-z

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