Enhancing plant photosynthesis by engineering the carbon dioxide (CO2)-fixing enzyme Rubisco. Improving the ability of crops to use water, sunlight and fertiliser more efficiently would have economic benefits for Australia and ease the environmental impacts associated with agricultural practices. Photosynthesis research has confirmed that such improvements are theoretically possible by enhancing the efficiency of the protein, Rubisco, which initiates the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon ....Enhancing plant photosynthesis by engineering the carbon dioxide (CO2)-fixing enzyme Rubisco. Improving the ability of crops to use water, sunlight and fertiliser more efficiently would have economic benefits for Australia and ease the environmental impacts associated with agricultural practices. Photosynthesis research has confirmed that such improvements are theoretically possible by enhancing the efficiency of the protein, Rubisco, which initiates the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon compounds required for growth. The biotechnological research proposed here uses unique capabilities to improve our understanding of structural features in Rubisco that influence its assembly and functional efficiency in plants. This knowledge will pave the way for transplanting more efficient Rubisco into crops to improve their growth.Read moreRead less
New Methods for Directed Molecular Evolution of Novel Protein Functions. Novel ribosome-based techniques can be used to carry out test-tube evolution of proteins with new structures and functions. The methods rely on (a) physical association of individual nucleic acid molecules with the particular protein molecules they encode, (b) selection of proteins with new functions, and (c) recovery of the attached genetic code. This project will address several issues that currently limit use of these fr ....New Methods for Directed Molecular Evolution of Novel Protein Functions. Novel ribosome-based techniques can be used to carry out test-tube evolution of proteins with new structures and functions. The methods rely on (a) physical association of individual nucleic acid molecules with the particular protein molecules they encode, (b) selection of proteins with new functions, and (c) recovery of the attached genetic code. This project will address several issues that currently limit use of these frontier technologies for evolution of new protein products that have a wide range of practical applications.Read moreRead less