Rubisco: Structural and functional aspects with special reference to catalytic imperfection

Carbon fixation is one of the most fundamental aspects of plant physiology. It is carried out by RuBisCO (ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase), an enzyme that also catalyzes oxygenation reaction yielding ‘toxic ’intermediates. At optimal conditions, RuBisCO preferentially incorporates inorganic carbon into organic carbon skeletons (RuBP, ribulose-1, 5-bis phosphate), generating two molecules of 3-phosphoglycerate. This simple compound is subsequently used to build other organic molecules of life and contributes significantly to plant growth and increased biomass. Thus, RuBisCO is a potential target for genetic manipulation to improve plant yield by strengthening source-sink relationship.