MIT Boosts Key Photosynthesis Enzyme Efficiency by 25%, Paving Way for Higher Crop Yields

A research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has significantly enhanced the efficiency of Rubisco, a crucial enzyme in photosynthesis, using an advanced technique known as continuous directed evolution. The breakthrough improves the enzyme's performance by 25%, offering the potential to accelerate plant growth, improve photosynthetic efficiency, and transform global agricultural productivity.

Rubisco plays a central role in converting carbon dioxide into organic compounds during photosynthesis. However, it is notoriously inefficient and prone to a wasteful side reaction with oxygen, which reduces energy efficiency. Starting with Rubisco from low-oxygen bacteria, the MIT team applied a directed evolution method to identify mutations that dramatically boost catalytic performance. The optimized enzyme performs efficiently even in oxygen-rich environments, minimizing energy loss.

Unlike traditional methods such as error-prone PCR—which are time-consuming and yield low mutation rates—MIT utilized a novel technique called MutaT7, which enables rapid and efficient in vivo mutation and screening. Through six rounds of evolution, the researchers identified three critical mutations that improve Rubisco's preference for carbon dioxide over oxygen, thereby enhancing its carboxylation efficiency.

Since plants can lose up to 30% of solar energy due to Rubisco's oxygenation reaction, this advancement could substantially reduce photorespiratory losses and boost crop yields. The team is now working to apply this approach to plant-derived Rubisco, with the goal of developing high-yield, climate-resilient crop varieties.