Abstract

C4 photosynthesis is a specialised mechanism which has evolved to concentrate CO2 around RuBisCO, eliminating the negative effects of photorespiration. This improves carbon fixation efficiency which enables highly productive growth in certain conditions when compared to C3 species. Due to this greater productivity, efforts are being undertaken to test the feasibility of engineering C4 photosynthesis into rice, a C3 species, with the aim to increase yields in response to a global food shortage. Critical to this endeavour is the insertion of genes into rice which are necessary for the C4 biochemical pathway to run. I will discuss the cloning of two key C4 genes from maize into rice and the behaviour of these genes in the C3 environment. Additionally, I will discuss cell-specificity in C3 species and its importance in both understanding the evolution of C4 photosynthesis and providing molecular tools for the C4 rice project.