PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Prof. S. Dutta Gupta

Agricultural and Food Engineering Department

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Definition of Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process by which autotrophic organisms use light energy to make sugar and oxygen gas from carbon dioxide and water

Carbon dioxide

Water PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Glucose

Oxygen gas

Light Energy Harvested by Plants & Converted to Chemical Energy

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light energy C6H12O6 + 6 O2

Plant Leaves & Chloroplast (Sites of Photosynthesis)

internal leaf structure

outer membrane inner membrane

chloroplasts

thylakoid

Chloroplast Structure

Thickened disc like structures are called thylakoids. A stack of thylakoids is called a granum. (Plural grana) Stroma is a liquid surrounding the thylakoids.

 Chloroplasts absorb light energy and convert it to chemical energy

Light

Reflected light

Absorbed light Transmitted light

Chloroplast

Photosynthetic pigments are arranged as photosystems

Different pigments absorb light differently

Overall Reactions of Photosynthesis

The light reactions convert solar energy to chemical energy
Produce ATP & NADPH
Light
Chloroplast NADP ADP +P Light reactions Calvin cycle

The Calvin cycle makes sugar from carbon dioxide

ATP generated by the light reactions provides the energy for sugar synthesis The NADPH produced by the light reactions provides the electrons for the reduction of carbon dioxide to glucose

Chlorophyll a & b
Chl a has a methyl group Chl b has a carbonyl group

Porphyrin ring delocalized e-

Phytol tail

The Light Reactions (light dependent)

Photosystem Icyclic photophosphorylation Photosystem IInoncyclic photophosphorylation Photolysis

Cyclic Photophosphorylation
Process for ATP generation associated with some Photosynthetic Bacteria Reaction Center => 700 nm

Non-Cyclic Photophosphorylation
Photosystem II regains electrons by splitting water, leaving O2 gas as a by-product
Primary electron acceptor Primary electron acceptor

Photons

Energy for synthesis of PHOTOSYSTEM I

PHOTOSYSTEM II

by chemiosmosis

The Calvin Cycle in Photosynthesis The Calvin cycle is the mechanism for turning CO2 into carbohydrate

Light-independent reactions (Dark Reactions)

The Calvin-Benson/C3 cycle

1. 2. 3. Has 3 phases: carbon fixation phase reduction of CO2 phase regeneration of RuBP phase

Calvin Cycle, earlier designated the photosynthetic "dark reactions," is now called the carbon reactions pathway:

grana disks (thylakoids)

2 outer membranes stroma compartment

Chloroplast

The free energy of cleavage of ~P bonds of ATP, and reducing power of NADPH, are used to fix and reduce CO2 to form carbohydrate. Enzymes & intermediates of the Calvin Cycle are located in the chloroplast stroma, a compartment somewhat analogous to the mitochondrial matrix.

H2C O H H C C C H2C

OPO 3

2-

-O

O C C OH OPO 32-

OH OH OPO 3
2-

H2 C

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP)

3-Phosphoglycerate (3PG)

Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase (RuBP Carboxylase), catalyzes CO2 fixation: ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate + CO2 2 3-phosphoglycerate Because it can alternatively catalyze an oxygenase reaction, the enzyme is also called RuBP Carboxylase/Oxygenase (RuBisCO). It is the most abundant enzyme on earth.

carbon fixation phase

Reduction of CO2 phase

Regeneration of RuBP phase

3-PGA
ATP ADP

36c

Carbon Balance in Calvin Cycle

36c

1,3 bisPO4 glycerate

NADPH + H+ NADP+

24c
DHAP

Glyceraldehyde-3-PO4 Calvin 12c

6c Calvin

Fructose 1,6bisPO4 Fructose-6-PO4 Glucose-6-PO4 6c

18c Calvin 12c

Synthesis of Sucrose and Starch

F6P G6P G1P
ATP
PPi

Cytosol
UTP
PPi

ADP-glucose
(glucose)n

UDP-glucose
fructose-6-PO4

ADP + (glucose)n+1

UDP + Sucrose-6-PO4
H2O
Pi

Stroma

Starch (amylose)

Sucrose

Thank goodness for photosynthesis

CHO

Summary of Calvin Cycle

H
O C O

C H2C

OH OPO32

carbon dioxide

glyceraldehyde3-phosphate

CO2 + ATP + NADPH Glyceraldehyde-3-P + ADP + Pi + NADP+

Glyceraldehyde-3-P may be converted to other CHO: metabolites (e.g., fructose-6-P, glucose-1-P) energy stores (e.g., sucrose, starch) cell wall constituents (e.g., cellulose).
Glyceraldehyde-3-P can also be utilized by plant cells as carbon source for synthesis of other compounds such as fatty acids & amino acids.

Summary of Calvin Cycle

CO2

Separation in space (C4 cycle)

Mesophyll cell surrounding bundle sheath

OAA (4C)

PEP (3C)

ADP ATP
Pyruvate (C3)

Malate

CO2 C3 sugar

Bundle sheath cell

Vascular tissue

CO2

Separation in time (CAM cycle)

In the dark

OAA (4C)

PEP (3C)

ADP ATP
Pyruvate (C3)

Malat

CO2 C3 sugar

In the light

Mesophyll

C3 vs C4 Plants A Lesson in Photoefficiency

C3
CO2 directly RuBP recipient 3 PGA is the first product O2 can interfere

C4
CO2 indirectly PEP recipient 4 C organic acid is the first product (Malate, Aspartate) O2 cannot interfere No photorespriation

Photorespiration

C3 and C4 Plants
C3 C4

soybean wheat rice sugar beet alfalfa spinach tobacco sunflower

corn sorghum sugar cane millet crab grass Bermuda grass pigweed

O2

O2

O2

PHOTORESPIRATION
O2

O2

Definition 1:

The aberrant use of oxygen by chloroplasts

Definition 2:

O2

An interference with carboxylation caused by the deviant interaction of RUBISCO with oxygen A process that leads to only one 3PGA being produced in the dark reaction in chloroplasts

Photorespiration: O2 can compete with CO2 for binding to RuBisCO,

especially when [CO2] is low & [O2] is high.

O C H C H2C

O O OH OPO3
2

O C OPO3
2

H2C

3-phosphoglycerate

phosphoglycolate

When O2 reacts with ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate, the products are 3-phosphoglycerate plus the 2-C compound 2-phosphoglycolate. This reaction is the basis for the name RuBP Carboxylase/Oxygenase (RuBisCO).
Photorespiration is a wasteful process, substantially reducing efficiency of CO2 fixation, even at normal ambient CO2

Overview of Photosynthesis

It's not that easy bein' green but it is essential for life on earth!

QUIZ
Why are leaves green?

What is chlorophyll?
Which cell organelle contains chlorophyll? What are the units of light?

How are photons captured?

Quiz
Which photosystem is involved in splliting of water in photosynthesis Where in the chloroplast the Calvin cycle reactions occur? What is the most prevalent enzyme on the planet? Why is it so important?

Quiz
What is the first product of photosynthesis in C4 plants? Name the key enzyme of C4 metabolism What is Kranz anatomy?

What are the advantages of C4 plants?

Quiz
What is chlorophyll fluorescence? What is non-photochemical quenching