2026年3月5日，美国博伊斯·汤普森研究所
研究小组揭示角苔类——唯一具有蛋白核的陆生植物——拥有一种特殊的Rubisco小亚基RbcS-STAR，其C端卷曲螺旋结构域通过寡聚化介导Rubisco凝聚。RbcS-STAR被整合到Rubisco全酶中，因此充当"先天性"Rubisco连接体。在拟南芥等缺乏蛋白核的物种中表达RbcS-STAR，足以诱导产生类蛋白核凝聚体。他们的发现揭示了Rubisco凝聚机制，并为将蛋白核引入作物提供了潜在途径。
据悉，在许多藻类中，生物物理的二氧化碳浓缩机制促进了光合作用，这种机制将固定二氧化碳的酶Rubisco包装成一种叫做蛋白核的液体状细胞器。用藻类蛋白核改造C3作物可以提高产量，但进展受到作物和藻类之间深刻进化鸿沟的阻碍。
附：英文原文
Title: An unconventional Rubisco small subunit underpins the CO2-concentrating organelle in land plants
Author: Tanner A. Robison, Yuwei Mao, Zhen Guo Oh, Warren S. L. Ang, Dan Hong Loh, Yu-Heng Hsieh, Maddie Ceminsky, Nicky Atkinson, Declan Lafferty, Xia Xu, Laura H. Gunn, Alistair J. McCormick, Fay-Wei Li
Issue&Volume: 2026-03-05
Abstract: In many algae, photosynthesis is boosted by biophysical CO2-concentrating mechanisms, which pack the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco into liquid-like organelles called pyrenoids. Engineering C3 crops with algal pyrenoids could increase yields, but progress is hampered by the deep evolutionary divide between crops and algae. Here, we show that hornworts, the only land plants with pyrenoids, have an unusual Rubisco small subunit, RbcS-STAR, the C-terminal coiled-coil domain of which oligomerizes to mediate Rubisco condensation. RbcS-STAR is incorporated into the Rubisco holoenzyme and thus acts as an “innate” Rubisco linker. Expression of RbcS-STAR in pyrenoid-lacking species, including Arabidopsis, is sufficient to induce pyrenoid-like condensates. Our findings reveal a mechanism for Rubisco condensation and a potential route to introduce pyrenoids into crop plants.
DOI: aea0150
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea0150