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Can we introduce genes from organisms which are especially good at fixing CO₂ into staple crops?

In February 1999 a group from Kyoto University reported finding a novel Rubisco  in the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus kodakaraensis KOD1.  It has  a specific activity of 19.8 × 10³ nmol of CO₂ fixed min^-1 mg^-1, and a specificity factor of 310 at 90 °C.  (The specificity factor is a measure of how good the enzyme is at selecting CO₂ rather than O₂.) Both values are higher than those of any previously characterized Rubisco.

In May 1999 Yokota et al. from Osaka published the 2.4Å resolution  structure of a Rubisco found in a thermophilic red alga, Galdieria partita.  This Rubisco has a specificity factor of 238, 'the highest for any Rubisco so far discovered'.

Might it prove possible one day to incorporate genes from such organisms into viable staple crops?

For further information visit the following sites:

Prime Target for Genetic Engineering     http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=9925484&dopt=Abstract
http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/dbmb/gready/enzyme.htm#rubisco
http://www.rite.or.jp/English/E-home-frame.html
 and try these sites.

You may also enjoy these kinemages of Rubisco, Lee.kin and 2Zhang.kin. For a comparison with the structure of TIM see Mande.kin.

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