Overexpression of Setaria italica phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase gene in rice positively impacts photosynthesis and agronomic traits.

C plants have the inherent capacity to concentrate atmospheric CO in the vicinity of RuBisCo, thereby increasing carboxylation, and inhibiting photorespiration. Carbonic anhydrase (CA), the first enzyme of C photosynthesis, converts atmospheric CO to HCO, which is utilized by PEPC to produce C acids. Bioengineering of C traits into C crops is an attractive strategy to increase photosynthesis and water use efficiency.

Morphophysiological alterations in transgenic rice lines expressing PPDK and ME genes from the C4 model Setaria italica.

C4 plants are superior to C3 plants in terms of productivity and limited photorespiration. PPDK (pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase) and NADP-ME (NADP-dependent malic enzyme) are two important photosynthetic C4-specific enzymes present in the mesophyll cells of C4 plants. To evaluate the effect of C4 enzymes in rice, we developed transgenic rice lines by separately introducing Setaria italica PPDK [SiPPDK] and S.

DNA as a digital information storage device: hope or hype?

The total digital information today amounts to 3.52 × 10 bits globally, and at its consistent exponential rate of growth is expected to reach 3 × 10 bits by 2040. Data storage density of silicon chips is limited, and magnetic tapes used to maintain large-scale permanent archives begin to deteriorate within 20 years.