Enhancing Photosynthesis in Genetically Engineered Crops: A Study on FBP Aldolase Over-expression in Rice

Abstract

With a growing world population and decreasing global rice yields due to climate changes, innovative approaches are essential. One promising strategy focuses on enhancing photosynthesis by overexpressing fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBP aldolase) a key enzyme in the regeneration of Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) within the Calvin-Benson cycle. In this study, the osFBPA gene construct, which was designed to overexpress the native FBP aldolase gene, was already introduced to rice plants. Following genetic modification, the transgenic rice lines were grown in controlled conditions to investigate the photosynthetic enhancement using molecular and physiological approaches. The result showed an increase in leaf photosynthesis and the possibility of increased biomass. This study emphasises the potential of using photosynthetic enhancement to increase rice yields, laying the basis for future efforts in rice and other crops photosynthesis optimisation.