The role of metabolomics in informing strategies for improving photosynthesis.

The article focuses on the role of metabolomics and advanced mass spectrometry techniques in understanding and improving photosynthetic metabolism, particularly through the modulation of photorespiration to enhance photosynthetic efficiency. It reviews the molecular basis of photosynthesis and photorespiration, highlighting how photorespiration acts as a significant carbon loss pathway but is essential for plant metabolism. Various synthetic photorespiratory bypasses have been engineered in plants to reduce carbon loss and increase biomass, with metabolomic profiling and stable isotope labelling used to assess their functionality and metabolic impacts. The article emphasizes the importance of dynamic stable isotope labelling combined with metabolomics to resolve carbon fluxes, identify metabolic bottlenecks, and optimize engineered pathways for improved crop productivity and carbon sequestration.