How does RubisCO facilitate photorespiration?
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How does RubisCO facilitate photorespiration?
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Answer:
Rubisco can bind to either carbon dioxide or oxygen depending on environmental conditions. Binding to carbon dioxide and initiation of the Clavin cycle is favored at low temperatures and at a high carbon dioxide-to-oxygen ratio.
Explanation:
Answer:
RuBP oxygenase-carboxylase (rubisco), a key enzyme in photosynthesis, is the molecular equivalent of a good friend with a bad habit. In the process of carbon fixation, rubisco incorporates carbon dioxide (\text{CO}_2CO
2
start text, C, O, end text, start subscript, 2, end subscript) into an organic molecule during the first stage of the Calvin cycle. Rubisco is so important to plants that it makes up 30\%30%30, percent or more of the soluble protein in a typical plant leaf^1
1
start superscript, 1, end superscript. But rubisco also has a major flaw: instead of always using \text{CO}_2CO
2
start text, C, O, end text, start subscript, 2, end subscript as a substrate, it sometimes picks up \text O_2O
2
start text, O, end text, start subscript, 2, end subscript instead.