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New discovery reveals how diatoms capture CO2 so effectively

Tiny diatoms in the ocean are masters at capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the environment. They fix up to 20 percent of the Earth’s CO2. A research team at the University of Basel has now discovered a protein shell in these algae that is necessary for efficient CO2 fixation. This groundbreaking discovery can provide ideas for bioengineering approaches to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.

Using cutting-edge imaging technologies such as cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), the researchers were able to reveal the molecular architecture of the so-called PyShell protein sheath and decipher its function. (Image: Gröger et al. / Manon Demulder, Biozentrum, Universität Basel) However, algae have an advantage: they pack all their Rubisco into small compartments called pyrenoids, where CO 2 can be captured more efficiently. Ginga Shimakawa, Manon Demulder, Serena Flori, Akihiro Kawamoto, Yoshinori Tsuji, Hermanus Nawaly, Atsuko Tanaka, Rei Tohda, Tadayoshi Ota, Hiroaki Matsui, Natsumi Morishima, Ryosuke Okubo, Wojciech Wietrzynski, Lorenz Lamm, Ricardo D. Righetto, Clarisse Uwizeye, Benoit Gallet, Pierre-Henri Jouneau, Christoph Gerle, Genji Kurisu, Giovanni Finazzi, Benjamin D. Engel, Yusuke Matsuda Diatom pyrenoids are encased in a protein shell that enables efficient CO₂ fixation.

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