Pyrenoids: Cutting Edge of Phase-separated Organelles in Plants

Abstract

Pyrenoids are suborganelles formed by the accumulation of the CO₂-fixing enzyme RubisCO in chloroplasts and play a central role in the efficient CO₂-fixation reaction in aquatic environments. Pyrenoid research has a long history and has been conducted mainly in the field of morphological taxonomy. Recently, however, epoch-making studies such as the discovery of the liquid-liquid phase separation of green algal pyrenoids and the discovery of molecules necessary for the phase separation have been carried out, and research on the molecular mechanism of pyrenoid formation has made significant progress. Against this background, a symposium entitled “Pyrenoids: Cutting Edge of Phase-separated Organelles in Plants” was held at the 86th Congress of the Botanical Society of Japan under the joint sponsorship of the Japanese Society of Plant Morphology. The symposium featured lectures by researchers leading pyrenoid research using various algae and hornworts, sharing the forefront of pyrenoid research and discussing its diversity, universality, and future research prospects.