Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 May;82(3):429-448.
doi: 10.1111/tpj.12829.

The CO2 concentrating mechanism and photosynthetic carbon assimilation in limiting CO2 : how Chlamydomonas works against the gradient

Yingjun Wang  1 , Dan J Stessman  1 , Martin H Spalding  1
Affiliations
Free article
Review

The CO2 concentrating mechanism and photosynthetic carbon assimilation in limiting CO2 : how Chlamydomonas works against the gradient

Yingjun Wang et al. Plant J. 2015 May.
Free article

Abstract

The CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM) represents an effective strategy for carbon acquisition that enables microalgae to survive and proliferate when the CO2 concentration limits photosynthesis. The CCM improves photosynthetic performance by raising the CO2 concentration at the site of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), simultaneously enhancing carbon fixation and suppressing photorespiration. Active inorganic carbon (Ci) uptake, Rubisco sequestration and interconversion between different Ci species catalyzed by carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are key components in the CCM, and an array of molecular regulatory elements is present to facilitate the sensing of CO2 availability, to regulate the expression of the CCM and to coordinate interplay between photosynthetic carbon metabolism and other metabolic processes in response to limiting CO2 conditions. This review intends to integrate our current understanding of the eukaryotic algal CCM and its interaction with carbon assimilation, based largely on Chlamydomonas as a model, and to illustrate how Chlamydomonas acclimates to limiting CO2 conditions and how its CCM is regulated.

Keywords: CO2 concentrating mechanism; Chlamydomonas; active CO2 uptake; bicarbonate transporter; inorganic carbon; limiting CO2; photosynthetic carbon assimilation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Amoroso, G., Sultemeyer, D., Thyssen, C. and Fock, H.P. (1998) Uptake of HCO3− and CO2 in cells and chloroplasts from the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Dunaliella tertiolecta. Plant Physiol. 116, 193-201.
    1. Badger, M.R. (1987) Coevolution of Rubisco and CO2 concentrating mechanisms. In Progress in Photo- Synthesis Research, Vol. III. (Biggens, J., ed.). Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Martinus Niijhoff, pp. 601-609.
    1. Badger, M.R. and Price, G.D. (2003) CO2 concentrating mechanisms in cyanobacteria: molecular components, their diversity and evolution. J. Exp. Bot. 54, 609-622.
    1. Badger, M. and Spalding, M. (2000) CO2 Acquisition, Concentration and Fixation in Cyanobacteria and Algae. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic.
    1. Badger, M.R., Kaplan, A. and Berry, J.A. (1980) Internal inorganic carbon pool of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: evidence for a carbon dioxide-concentrating mechanism. Plant Physiol. 66, 407-413.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources