Simultaneous stimulation of sedoheptulose 1,7‐bisphosphatase, fructose 1,6‐bisphophate aldolase and the photorespiratory glycine decarboxylase‐H protein increases CO2 assimilation, vegetative biomass and seed yield in Arabidopsis

• Published in: Plant biotechnology journal 2017-07, Vol.15 (7), p.805-816
• Main Authors: Simkin, Andrew J., Lopez‐Calcagno, Patricia E., Davey, Philip A., Headland, Lauren R., Lawson, Tracy, Timm, Stefan, Bauwe, Hermann, Raines, Christine A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aldolase; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis thaliana; Assimilation; Biological assimilation; Biomass; Calvin cycle; Carbon dioxide; Carbon dioxide fixation; Carbon monoxide; Carbon sequestration; chlorophyll fluorescence imaging; Crop yield; Crops; Energy; Energy crops; Enzymes; FBP aldolase; Fructose; fructose-bisphosphate aldolase; genes; Genetic engineering; Glycine; glycine decarboxylase‐H protein; H protein; Impact analysis; Leaf area; Leaves; photorespiration; Photosynthesis; photosystem II; Plants (botany); Productivity; Proteins; Quantum efficiency; SBPase; seed yield; Seeds; Stacking; Stimulation; Target recognition; transgenic; Transgenic plants
• ISSN: 1467-7644; 1467-7652
• DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12676

Summary In this article, we have altered the levels of three different enzymes involved in the Calvin–Benson cycle and photorespiratory pathway. We have generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants with altered combinations of sedoheptulose 1,7‐bisphosphatase (SBPase), fructose 1,6‐bisphophate aldolase (FBPA) and the glycine decarboxylase‐H protein (GDC‐H) gene identified as targets to improve photosynthesis based on previous studies. Here, we show that increasing the levels of the three corresponding proteins, either independently or in combination, significantly increases the quantum efficiency of PSII. Furthermore, photosynthetic measurements demonstrated an increase in the maximum efficiency of CO2 fixation in lines over‐expressing SBPase and FBPA. Moreover, the co‐expression of GDC‐H with SBPase and FBPA resulted in a cumulative positive impact on leaf area and biomass. Finally, further analysis of transgenic lines revealed a cumulative increase of seed yield in SFH lines grown in high light. These results demonstrate the potential of multigene stacking for improving the productivity of food and energy crops.