C3 photosynthesis articles from across Nature Portfolio

This Review discusses the occurrence of non-canonical pathways in plant metabolic networks identified by modelling predictions and recent experimental evidence. It highlights how such non-canonical pathways can and should be considered for metabolic engineering to obtain valuable compounds.

Integrating remote sensing and eco-evolutionary theory, this study explains 80–84% of photosynthetic efficiency variation across ecosystems by incorporating plant traits such as chlorophyll and leaf longevity with climate data, highlighting the importance of these traits for global carbon modelling.

A thylakoid lumen protein, TLP7.6, functions as an auxiliary factor for cyclophilin 38 to facilitate PSII assembly and stability in Arabidopsis. Double mutation of these two genes results in impaired growth, delayed flowering, and alterations in chloroplast ultrastructure and root size as well as reduced NPQ.

A high-throughput chemical screening system suggests that several chemicals could protect photosynthesis systems from light damage by serving as electron acceptors at the accepter side of PSI, preventing the reaction center from being over-reduced.

Analysis of the FLUXNET2015 dataset provides observational evidence for widespread thermal acclimation of canopy-scale photosynthesis and its timescales across diverse biomes, improving its representation in land surface models.

An engineered increase in Rubisco production has increased photosynthetic capacity, rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency in an experimental paddy field. This demonstrates a key means to sustainably increasing yield and global food security.