Biochemical and synthetic biology approaches to improve photosynthetic CO₂-fixation

There is an urgent need to improve agricultural productivity to secure future food and biofuel supply. Here, we summarize current approaches that aim at improving photosynthetic CO₂-fixation. We critically review, compare and comment on the four major lines of research towards this aim, which focus on (i) improving RubisCO, the CO₂-fixing enzyme in photosynthesis, (ii) implementing CO₂-concentrating mechanisms, (iii) establishing synthetic photorespiration bypasses, and (iv) engineering synthetic CO₂-fixation pathways.