Steps of the Calvin Cycle

During the Calvin cycle, the energy of ATP and NADPH is used to convert carbon dioxide and
water into organic compounds.
SmartNotes

1.
fig. 1
The Calvin Cycle
The Calvin cycle uses three carbon dioxides to produce an output of one 3-carbon sugar
(glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate or G3P). The Calvin cycle can be divided into three phases: carbon
fixation, reduction, and regeneration of RuBP (the CO2 acceptor). The carbon molecules, starting
with CO2, are indicated in the model as black spheres. The Calvin cycle relies on the light
reactions to provide the required ATP and NADPH.
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KEY POINTS

The initial product for the Calvin cycle is CO2, and the product is the 3-carbon sugar,
glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, which can then be used to form glucose and other sugars.

The Calvin cycle requires ATP and NADPH, both of which are produced in the light
reactions. It can be divided into three phases: carbon fixation, carbon reduction, and RuBP
regeneration.

In the carbon fixation stage, a CO2 is bound to ribulose bisphosphate by

the enzymerubisco to form a 6-carbon product, which will almost immediately break down into
two, 3-carbon compounds.

In the reduction stage, the carbon compounds undergo an additional phosphorylation and
eventually form the sugar product of G3P.

In the final step of the Calvin cycle, the RuBP acceptor must be regenerated in order to
once again be incorporated with a CO 2 to initiate the phase one fixation step.
TERMS

Calvin cycle

A series of biochemical reactions that take place in the stroma of chloroplasts in photosynthetic
organisms.
carbon fixation

Any process, such as photosynthesis, whereby atmospheric carbon dioxide is converted into
organic compounds.
ribulose bisphosphate
Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) is an organic substance that is involved in photosynthesis. The
anion is a double phosphate ester of the ketose (ketone-containing sugar) called ribulose. Salts
of this species can be isolated, but its crucial biological function involves this colourless anion in
solution.
EXAMPLES

Illustration of the Calvin Cycle (Figure 1), in which for every net G3P molecule it produces,
the Calvin cycle uses 6 CO2 molecules, as well as 9 ATP and 6 NADPH. The ATP and NADPH will
be regenerated during the light reactions.
The second major stage of photosynthesis, after the capture of light energy and its storage in
ATP and NADPH molecules, is the Calvin cycle, or the light-independent reactions. During the
Calvin cycle, the energy stored in these molecules is released in a series of redox reactions that
result in carbon fixation, or the production of organic molecules (sugars) from carbon dioxide and
water. The cycle was discovered by Melvin Calvin, James Bassham, and Andrew Benson at the
University of California, Berkeley, and is sometimes referred to as the Calvin-Bassham-Benson or
CBB cycle.
The Calvin cycle occurs in the stroma of the chloroplast. The key enzyme of the Calvin cycle is
RuBisCO (Figure 1). In the process, CO 2 and H2O react to form the 3-carbon sugar phosphate (or
triose phosphate) molecule, G3P (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate). The cycle is powered by energy
stored in NADPH and ATP; in the process, these compounds are reduced to NADP + and ADP. The
overall reaction for the the Calvin cycle is:
3 CO2 + 6 NADPH + 5 H2O + 9 ATP glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P) + 2 H + + 6 NADP+ + 9
ADP + 8 Pi

The Calvin cycle occurs in three separate stages: carbon fixation, reduction, and regeneration of
RuBP (the CO2 acceptor). These occur as follows:
1.
Carbon fixation: The carbon of a CO2 molecule is attached to a 5-carbon sugar (ribulose
biphosphate, or RuBP), forming an unstable 6-carbon intermediate compound, which
immediately breaks down to form two 3-carbon molecules (3-phosphoglycerate, also called 3phosphoglyceric acid, or PGA). This step is catalyzed by an enzyme called RuBP carboxylase, or
rubisco (sometimes written RuBisCO). This highly important compound is abundant in chloroplast
and may, in fact, be the most abundant compound on Earth.
2.
Reduction: Each PGA molecule receives another phosphate from ATP, becoming 1,3bisphosphoglycerate, and is then reduced by NADPH, becoming the molecule G3P
(glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate), also known as PGAL, or phosphoglyceraldehyde. Two PGAs are
produced for every CO2 entering the cycle, so this step uses 2 ATP and 2 NADPH molecules.
During each cycle, 6 molecules of CO2 are fixed, using a series of enzymes, and 6 G3P molecules
are produced.
3.
Regeneration of RuBP: Because this is a cycle, some of the products must be regenerated
to keep the cycle going. Of the 6 G3P molecules produced, 5 are regenerated using 3 more ATPs
and a series of enzymes, producing 3 complete RuBP molecules, which are then ready to receive
new CO2 molecules and continue the cycle. The sixth and final G3P molecule is the net product of
the cyclethe one molecule that becomes a building block for the synthesis of larger organic
molecules used in plant structures, including glucose, fructose, sucrose, and the polysaccharides
starch and cellulose. For every net G3P molecule it produces, the Calvin cycle uses 6
CO2 molecules, as well as 9 ATP and 6 NADPH. The ATP and NADPH will be regenerated during
the light reactions.
acid:
a substance with a pH less than 7, or being sour, or having the strength to neutralize
alkalis, or turning a litmus paper red
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Citric Acid Cycle
acid:
a substance with a pH less than 7, or being sour, or having the strength to neutralize
alkalis, or turning a litmus paper red
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Citric Acid Cycle
Calvin cycle:
A series of biochemical reactions that take place in the stroma of chloroplasts in
photosynthetic organisms.
APPEARS IN THESE RELATED CONCEPTS:
Steps of the Calvin Cycle
Review of Photosynthesis
carbon:
The chemical element (symbol C) with an atomic number of 6.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Carbon
carbon dioxide:
The normal oxide of carbon, CO2; a colorless, odorless gas formed during respiration and
combustion and consumed by plants during photosynthesis.
APPEARS IN THESE RELATED CONCEPTS:
The coordination between circulation and gas exchange
Carbon Dioxide Transport
carbon fixation:
Any process, such as photosynthesis, whereby atmospheric carbon dioxide is converted
into organic compounds.
APPEARS IN THESE RELATED CONCEPTS:
Steps of the Calvin Cycle
Photosynthesis and the Calvin Cycle
cellulose:
A complex carbohydrate that forms the main constituent of the cell wall in most plants,
and is important in the manufacture of numerous products, such as paper, textiles,
pharmaceuticals, and explosives.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Polysaccharides as Building Blocks
chloroplast:

an organelle found in the cells of green plants, and in photosynthetic algae, where
photosynthesis takes place
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
The evolutionary history of mitochondria and chloroplasts
chloroplast:
Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and other eukaryotic organisms that
conduct photosynthesis. Chloroplasts capture light energy, store it in the energy storage
molecules ATP and NADPH, and use it in the process called photosynthesis to make
organic molecules and free oxygen from carbon dioxide and water.
APPEARS IN THESE RELATED CONCEPTS:
Two Main groups of Green Algae
Chloroplast versus mitochondria chemiosmosis process
The evolutionary history of mitochondria and chloroplasts
compound:
a substance formed by chemical union of two or more ingredients in definite proportions
by weight
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Building blocks of matter
energy:
The capacity to do work.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Energy
enzyme:
a globular protein that catalyses a biological chemical reaction
APPEARS IN THESE RELATED CONCEPTS:
Enzyme evolution
Common Alterations of Enzyme Activity
Organizing enzymes in cellular space
Introduction to Enzymes
Polymer Assembly and Disassembly
fixation:

fixed:

In population genetics, fixation is the change in a gene pool from a situation where there
exists at least two variants of a particular gene (allele) to a situation where only one of the
alleles remains. The term can refer to a gene in general or particular nucleotide position in
the DNA chain (locus) and amino acids encoded by a gene.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Enzyme evolution

Stationary.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Estimating Time With A Molecular Clock
glucose:
A simple monosaccharide (sugar) with a molecular formula of C6H12O6; it is a principal
source of energy for cellular metabolism.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
How is the Storage of Energy Regulated?
NADP+:
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, abbreviated NADP+ (or, in older notation,
TPN (triphosphopyridine nucleotide)), is a coenzyme used in anabolic reactions, such as
lipid and nucleic acid synthesis, which require NADPH as a reducing agent.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Photosynthesis and the Calvin Cycle
NADPH:
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) carrying electrons and bonded with
a hydrogen (H) ion; the reduced form of NADP.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Review of Photosynthesis
photosynthesis:
The process by which plants and other photoautotrophs generate carbohydrates and
oxygen from carbon dioxide, water, and light energy in chloroplasts.
APPEARS IN THESE RELATED CONCEPTS:
Vascular Plant Evolution

Plant response to unfavorable growth conditions

Introduction to Origin and Evolution of Land Plants

product:
A chemical substance formed as a result of a chemical reaction.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
pH
reduction:
A reaction in which electrons are gained and valence is reduced; often by the removal of
oxygen or the addition of hydrogen.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Redox Reactions
rubisco:
A plant enzyme which catalyzes both the fixing of atmospheric carbon dioxide during
photosynthesis and the reverse process of photorespiration.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Photorespiration
starch:
A widely diffused vegetable substance found especially in seeds, bulbs, and tubers, and
extracted (as from potatoes, corn, rice, etc.) as a white, glistening, granular or powdery
substance, without taste or smell, and giving a very peculiar creaking sound when rubbed
between the fingers. It is used as a food, in the production of commercial grape sugar, for
stiffening linen in laundries, in making paste, etc.
APPEARS IN THIS RELATED CONCEPT:
Polysaccarides as Energy
stroma:
the tissue structure of an organ, etc., that serves to support it