The Light Independent Reactions (aka The Calvin Cycle) Photosynthesis 2 The Light Independent Reactions (aka The Calvin Cycle)

  build stuff !! photosynthesis Light Reactions ATP Convert solar energy to chemical energy ATP NADPH What can we do now?  energy  reducing power   build stuff !! photosynthesis

How is that Helpful? CO2 C6H12O6 Want to make C6H12O6 synthesis How? From what? What raw materials are available? CO2 NADPH CO2 contains little energy because it is fully oxidized Reduce CO2 in a series of steps to synthesize a stable energy storage molecule reduces CO2 carbon fixation NADP NADP C6H12O6

From CO2  C6H12O6 CO2 has very little chemical energy fully oxidized C6H12O6 contains a lot of chemical energy highly reduced Synthesis = endergonic process put in a lot of energy Reduction of CO2  C6H12O6 proceeds in many small uphill steps each catalyzed by a specific enzyme using energy stored in ATP & NADPH

From Light Reactions to Calvin Cycle chloroplast stroma Need products of light reactions to drive synthesis reactions ATP NADPH stroma ATP thylakoid

Calvin Cycle 1C 5C 6C 5C 3C 3C 3C CO2 RuBP RuBisCo 3 ATP 3 ADP used 1. CO2 diffusion 1C CO2 C 2. Carbon fixation C 5. Regeneration of RuBP C 5C C RuBP RuBisCo C ribulose bisphosphate 6C starch, sucrose, cellulose & more 3 ADP 3 ATP C ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase 5C 4. Output C used to make glucose C glyceraldehyde-3-P C 3C PGA 1. A five-carbon sugar molecule called ribulose bisphosphate, or RuBP, is the acceptor that binds CO2 dissolved in the stroma. This process, called CO2 fixation, is catalyzed by the enzyme RuBP carboxylase, forming an unstable six-carbon molecule. This molecule quickly breaks down to give two molecules of the three-carbon 3-phosphoglycerate (3PG), also called phosphoglyceric acid (PGA). 2. The two 3PG molecules are converted into glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (G3P, a.k.a. phosphoglyceraldehyde, PGAL) molecules, a three-carbon sugar phosphate, by adding a high-energy phosphate group from ATP, then breaking the phosphate bond and adding hydrogen from NADH + H+. 3. Three turns of the cycle, using three molecules of CO2, produces six molecules of G3P. However, only one of the six molecules exits the cycle as an output, while the remaining five enter a complex process that regenerates more RuBP to continue the cycle. Two molecules of G3P, produced by a total of six turns of the cycle, combine to form one molecule of glucose. G3P C phosphoglycerate C C C 3C C C C 6 ADP 6 ATP 3. Reduction C C 6 NADP 6 NADPH 3C C

The Calvin Cycle Step 1: Diffusion of CO2 Step 2: Carbon Fixation Carbon Dioxide gas diffuses into the stroma One molecule at a time enters It takes 3 CO2 molecules to make 1 G3P Step 2: Carbon Fixation Refers to incorporation of CO2 into organic material CO2 attached to Ribulose biphosphate (RuBP) Catalyzed by enzyme Rubisco Rubisco = ribulose biphosphate carboxylase Most abundant protein in chloroplast and on Earth! 6-carbon product is highly unstable; breaks down Product is 2 3-carbon molecules (3-phosphoglycerate) for every 1 CO2 fixed

RuBisCo Enzyme which fixes carbon from air ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase the most important enzyme in the world! it makes life out of air! definitely the most abundant enzyme

The Calvin Cycle Step 3: Reduction Each 3-phosphoglycerate receives an extra phosphate from hydrolysis of ATP to ADP Forms 1,3 biphosphoglycerate NADPH donates e- to reduce 1, 3 biphosphoglycerate to G3P G3P = Glyceraldehyde 3 Phosphate

glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate glucose C-C-C-C-C-C Remember G3P? ATP 2 ADP 2 glycolysis fructose-1,6bP P-C-C-C-C-C-C-P glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate DHAP P-C-C-C G3P C-C-C-P NAD+ 2 2 Gluconeogenesis == making new glucose ADP 4 ATP 4 pyruvate C-C-C Photosynthesis

The Calvin Cycle Step 4: Output 1 molecule of G3P leaves for conversion to useful plant sugars G3P is the basis for other metabolic processes in the plant which make organic molecules Step 5: Regeneration of CO2 Acceptor RuBP A series of crazy-complex reactions takes the 5 remaining molecules of G3P and converts them into RuBP for the next turn of the Calvin Cycle This conversion costs 3 ATP

To G3P and Beyond! Glyceraldehyde-3-P G3P is an important intermediate end product of Calvin cycle energy rich 3 carbon sugar “C3 photosynthesis” G3P is an important intermediate G3P   glucose   carbohydrates   lipids   phospholipids, fats, waxes   amino acids   proteins   nucleic acids   DNA, RNA

Accounting The accounting is complicated 3 turns of Calvin cycle = 1 G3P 3 CO2  1 G3P (3C) 6 turns of Calvin cycle = 1 C6H12O6 (6C) 6 CO2  1 C6H12O6 (6C) 18 ATP + 12 NADPH  1 C6H12O6 Any ATP left over from light reactions will be used elsewhere by the cell

Photosynthesis Summary Light reactions produced ATP produced NADPH consumed H2O produced O2 as byproduct Calvin cycle consumed CO2 produced G3P (sugar) regenerated ADP regenerated NADP ADP NADP