In the chloroplast, rubisco, combines with ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) and

oxygen. The five-carbon RuBP is split into the two-carbon 2-phosphoglycolate and the
three-carbon 3-phosphoglycerate (PGA). The enzymes of this pathway are enumerated
in the diagram above.
The 2-phosphoglycolate is converted to glycolate by phosphoglycolate phosphatase in
the chloroplast. The phosphate liberated is returned to the local phosphate pool. The
glycolate is transported from the chloroplast into a nearby peroxisome.
In the peroxisome, the glycolate is oxidized by oxygen gas to glyoxylate and hydrogen
peroxide by glycolate oxidase. The peroxide is converted to water and oxygen gas by
catalase. So the consumption of oxygen in the oxidation is replaced by catalase
activity in the peroxisome.
The glyoxylate is converted to the amino acid glycine in the peroxisome. The amino
group is transferred to the glyoxylate from glutamate (another amino acid) by
glyoxylate:glutamate aminotransferase. The glutamate is converted to -ketoglutarate
(we will remember and come back to that later!). The glycine is transported to the
mitochondrion.
In the mitochondrion, glycine decarboxylase carves off carbon dioxide gas from the
glycine. This requires NAD+ to park the hydrogen atom. It also cleaves off the amino
group. If you are paying attention to the chemical structures, you realize that the twocarbon amino acid has had both its amino and acid groups removed! There is only one
carbon left! This methylene group is parked on a folate molecule in the mitochondrion.
When a second glycine arrives into the mitochondrion from the peroxisome, it
combines with the methylene-folate to release the three-carbon amino acid serine
through the action of serine hydroxymethyltransferase. Also released for re-use by this
enzyme reaction is the folate. The serine is transported to the peroxisome.
In the peroxisome, the serine loses its amino group to -ketoglutarate (remember, we
would get back to that!) to regenerate the glutamate required in an earlier step in the
pathway. This amino-transfer is accomplished by serine aminotransferase. In this
reaction the serine is converted to hydroxypyruvate.
The peroxisome reduces the hydroxypyruvate to glycerate by hydroxypyruvate
reductase. The reducing power for this comes from NADH; if you recall this was
produced in an earlier step in the mitochondrion. The glycerate is transported to the
chloroplast.
In the chloroplast, the glycerate is converted by glycerate kinase to 3phosphoglycerate. The phosphate comes from ATP. Instead of producing ATP,
photorespiration uses ATP. The 3-phosphoglycerate from the beginning and this new
one from the end of photorespiration enter the chloroplast pool of PGA that is used to
regenerate RuBP.
Photorespiration loses 25% of the carbon it takes from the Calvin cycle
The photorespiration pathway siphons carbon away from the Calvin cycle, but it also
returns some of what it takes. Because it takes two glycines in photorespiration to
complete the pathway, two glycolates must be taken from the Calvin cycle.