※ Pyrenoid matrix introduction

    Pyrenoids are non-membrane-bound, proteinaceous structures that contain a matrix packed with the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco. In many species, the matrix is traversed by membrane tubules that are continuous with the photosynthetic thylakoid membranes (1). Pyrenoids are a central feature of the algal CO2 concentrating mechanism, which supplies Rubisco with a high concentration of its substrate CO2, enabling more efficient carbon capture than that of most land plants. Pyrenoids are found within the chloroplasts of a diverse array of photosynthetic eukaryotes, including nearly all freshwater and marine algae, as well as a group of non-vascular plants (2).

Reference
1. Freeman R. E., Xu B., et al. (2017) The Eukaryotic CO2-Concentrating Organelle Is Liquid-like and Exhibits Dynamic Reorganization. Cell, 171(1), 148-162.e19. PMID: 28938114
2. Wang Y., et al. (2015) The CO2 concentrating mechanism and photosynthetic carbon assimilation in limiting CO2 : how Chlamydomonas works against the gradient. Plant J., 82(3), 429-48. PMID: 25765072