RuBisCO

RuBisCO is the enzyme that catalyzes carbon fixation by attaching carbon dioxide to ribulose bisphosphate. It also reacts with oxygen, initiating photorespiration.

Calvin cycle: The series of reactions that fixes carbon dioxide into organic molecules using energy from ATP and NADPH. RuBisCO begins the cycle’s carbon-fixation phase by adding carbon dioxide to ribulose bisphosphate.
Carbon fixation: The incorporation of inorganic carbon dioxide into organic molecules. RuBisCO performs the first carbon-fixation step in the Calvin cycle.
C4 carbon fixation: A photosynthetic pathway that concentrates carbon dioxide around RuBisCO using a preliminary four-carbon compound. It reduces RuBisCO’s exposure to oxygen in hot, bright environments.
Melvin Calvin: An American chemist who mapped the pathway of carbon fixation in photosynthesis. His research established the reaction sequence in which RuBisCO fixes carbon dioxide.
RuBisCO engineering: The modification of RuBisCO to improve its catalytic speed, specificity, or performance in crops. Engineers seek variants that fix carbon faster without increasing oxygenation.
Ribulose bisphosphate: A five-carbon sugar phosphate that accepts carbon dioxide in the first step of the Calvin cycle. RuBisCO binds this molecule and forms an unstable six-carbon intermediate.
Carbon dioxide: A gaseous molecule consisting of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. It is the substrate RuBisCO incorporates into ribulose bisphosphate.
Crassulacean acid metabolism: A photosynthetic adaptation that stores carbon dioxide at night for use during the day. It supplies RuBisCO with concentrated carbon dioxide while stomata remain closed.
Andrew Benson: An American biochemist who helped identify intermediates in photosynthetic carbon fixation. His work helped reveal the products and steps surrounding RuBisCO’s reaction.
Carbon-concentrating mechanism: A biological system that raises carbon dioxide concentration near carbon-fixing enzymes. Pairing RuBisCO with such systems may reduce oxygen competition and improve efficiency.

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