1. Photosynthesis: The Calvin Cycle Life from Air

2. Whoops! Wrong Calvin…
The Calvin Cycle

3. Remember what it means to be a plant…
Need to produce all organic molecules necessary for growth
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids
Need to store chemical energy (ATP) produced from light reactions
in stable form
can be moved around plant
saved for a rainy day

4. + water + energy  glucose + oxygen
Autotrophs
Making energy & organic molecules from light energy
photosynthesis
+ water + energy  glucose + oxygen
carbon
dioxide
6CO2
6H2O
C6H12O6
6O2
light
energy  +
So, in effect, photosynthesis is respiration run backwards powered by light.

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

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

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

8. From Light reactions to Calvin cycle
chloroplast stroma
Need products of light reactions to drive synthesis reactions
ATP
NADPH

9. Calvin cycle 1C 5C 6C 3C 3C 3C CO2 RuBP Rubisco 3 ATP 3 ADP used
1. Carbon fixation C
3. Regeneration of RuBP C 5C C
RuBP
Rubisco C
ribulose bisphosphate 6C
starch, sucrose, cellulose & more
ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase C
3 ADP
3 ATP C
used
to make glucose C
glyceraldehyde-3-P C
RuBP = ribulose bisphosphate
Rubisco = ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase 3C
G3P
PGA C
phosphoglycerate C 3C C C C = C C C
6 ADP
6 ATP
2. Reduction C | H C – C
6 NADP
6 NADPH 3C C

10. Remember G3P? glycolysis glucose fructose-6P DHAP G3P pyruvate 2 ATP
C-C-C-C-C-C
Remember G3P?
2 ATP
glycolysis
2 ADP
fructose-6P
P-C-C-C-C-C-C-P
DHAP
P-C-C-C
G3P
C-C-C-P
2 NAD+
2 NADH
Gluconeogenesis == making new glucose
4 ADP
4 ATP
pyruvate
C-C-C

11. Calvin Cycle Stroma of chloroplast Carbon dioxide (CO2) Rubisco
Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate
(RuBP) (5C)
3-phosphoglycerate (3C) (PGA)
6 ATP
Carbon fixation
3 ADP
6 ADP
Reforming
RuBP
1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (3C)
3 ATP
6 NADPH
2Pi
Reverse of
glycolysis
6 NADP+
6Pi
Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (3C)
Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate
(3C) (G3P)
Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (3C) (G3P)
Glucose and
other sugars

12. To G-3-P and Beyond! Glyceraldehyde-3-P G-3-P = important intermediate
end product of Calvin cycle
energy rich 3 carbon sugar
“C3 photosynthesis”
G-3-P = important intermediate
G-3-P   glucose   carbohydrates
  lipids
  amino acids
  nucleic acids

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Summary of photosynthesis
6CO2
6H2O
C6H12O6
6O2
light
energy  +
Where did the CO2 come from?
Where did the CO2 go?
Where did the H2O come from?
Where did the H2O go?
Where did the energy come from?
What’s the energy used for?
What will the C6H12O6 be used for?
Where did the O2 come from?
Where will the O2 go?
What else is involved…not listed in this equation?

17. Supporting a biosphere
On global scale, photosynthesis is the most important process for the continuation of life on Earth
each year photosynthesis synthesizes 160 billion tons of carbohydrate
heterotrophs are dependent on plants as food source for fuel & raw materials

18. The poetic perspective…
All the solid material of every plant was built by sunlight out of thin air
All the solid material of every animal was built from plant material
sun
air
Then all the cats, dogs, rats, people & elephants… are really strands of air woven together by sunlight!

19. Any Questions??