From chloroplast to nucleus—with PhytoAB antibodies!

Can essential chloroplast genes function after relocation to the nucleus?

Shi and colleagues transferred rbcL and atpB into the nuclear genome of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutants lacking the corresponding chloroplast genes. The resulting proteins reached the chloroplast and assembled into Rubisco and ATP synthase complexes—but their low abundance limited photosynthetic recovery.

The outcome was partial rescue: atpB transfer supported substantial photoautotrophic growth, while rbcL transfer supported growth without acetate only under 5% CO₂.

The methods list 17 PhytoAB primary antibodies, covering ATP synthase, Rubisco, photosystem proteins, light-harvesting proteins, cytochrome b6, and histone H3.

ATPB and RBCL antibodies supported protein-accumulation and complex-assembly analyses in Figure 3, plus immunofluorescence localization in Figure 4. 

Featured antibody

PHY0096A: RBCL / Rubisco large subunit 

Studying chloroplast engineering, algal photosynthesis, or synthetic biology? Explore PhytoAB antibodies for your protein research.

Reference

Shi, W., Zhu, M., Hou, C., Fan, Q., & Duanmu, D. Transfer of chloroplast rbcL and atpB genes to nucleus enables partial rescue of photoautotrophic growth of Chlamydomonas. Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology, 17 (2027), 14–25. Available online July 30, 2026.