2017年12月8日Science 发表文章，科学家找到了一种在细菌体内制造植物一个重要的酶RuBisCo 的方法。RuBisCo 酶含有八个大亚基和八个小亚基，其在光合作用中具有重要的作用，它可以利用太阳能将空气中的二氧化碳固定起来，形成碳水化合物，以维持植物体的生命，当然这也是动物的能量来源。

文章发现，RuBisCo 酶在大肠杆菌体内正常的折叠和组装需要七个伴侣：Cpn60a，Cpn60b，Cpn20，RAF1，RAF2，RbcX，BSD2。

原文参照：INSIGHTS--Putting the RuBisCO pieces together

RESEARCH ARTICLE--Plant RuBisCo assembly in E. coli with five chloroplast chaperones including BSD2

植物RuBisCo是由8个大亚基和8个小亚基组成的复合物，催化光合作用中  CO2的固定。RuBisCo的低催化效率，为对该酶的重新设计提供了强大动力，目的是提高作物产量。 然而，遗传操作一直受到植物RuBisCo在细菌宿主中表达失败的阻碍。我们通过共表达多个叶绿体伴侣实现了拟南芥RuBisCo在大肠杆菌中的功能表达。这些伴侣蛋白包括Cpn60/Cpn20，RAF1/2，RbcX和BSD2。我们的结构和功能分析揭示了在小亚基可用前，BSD2稳定8个RuBisCo大亚基的终态组装中间体中的作用。重组生产植物RuBisCo的能力将有助于通过诱变对酶进行改进。

Plant RuBisCo, a complex of eight large and eight small subunits, catalyzes the fixation of CO2 in photosynthesis. The low catalytic efficiency of RuBisCo provides strong motivation to reengineer the enzyme with the goal of increasing crop yields. However, genetic manipulation has been hampered by the failure to express plant RuBisCo in a bacterial host. We achieved the functional expression of Arabidopsis thaliana RuBisCo in Escherichia coli by coexpressing multiple chloroplast chaperones. These include the chaperonins Cpn60/Cpn20, RuBisCo accumulation factors 1 and 2, RbcX, and bundle-sheath defective-2 (BSD2). Our structural and functional analysis revealed the role of BSD2 in stabilizing an end-state assembly intermediate of eight RuBisCo large subunits until the small subunits become available. The ability to produce plant RuBisCo recombinantly will facilitate efforts to improve the enzyme through mutagenesis.

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