By Susan Milius
Coaxing bacterial genes to replace a notorious slowpoke of an enzyme in tobacco plants could be a step toward raising yields in food crops.
Biologists have grumbled for decades about the clunky pace and wasteful mistakes of the enzyme nicknamed Rubisco (for D-ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase). A version of the enzyme orchestrates a key step in capturing carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthetic organisms from pond scum to redwoods. A large group of green plants, including soybeans, rice and wheat, has some of the least efficient Rubisco of all, ultimately limiting their productivity.