1. The entire process of dark reaction was traced by Dr. Melvin Calvin along with his co-worker, Dr. Benson. Hence, the process is called as Calvin cycle or Calvin- Benson cycle. Since the first stable product formed is a 3-carbon compound, it is also called as C3 pathway and the plants are called C14 plants.
2. Calvin carried out experiments on unicellular green algae (Chlorella), using radioactive isotope of carbon, C14 as a tracer. It is also called synthesis phase or second phase of photosynthesis.
The cycle is divided into the following phases:
1. Carboxylation phase:
a. Carbon dioxide reduction starts with a five-carbon sugar ribulose-l,5-bisphosphate (RuBP). It is a 5- carbon sugar with two phosphate groups attached to it.
b. RuBP reacts with CO2 to produce an unstable 6 carbon intermediate in the presence of Rubisco.
c. It immediately splits into 3 carbon compounds called 3- phosphoglyceric acid.
d. RuBisCO is a large protein molecule and comprises 16% of the chloroplast proteins.
2. Glycolytic reversal:
a. 3-phosphoglyceric acid form 1,3-diphosphoglyceric acid by utilizing ATP molecule.
b. These are then reduced to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (3-PGA) by NADPH supplied by the light reactions of photosynthesis.
c. In order to keep Calvin cycle continuously running there must be sufficient number of RuBP and regular supply of ATP and NADPH.
d. Out of 12 molecules of 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde, two molecules are used for synthesis of one glucose molecule.
3. Regeneration of RuBP:
a. 10 molecules of 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde are used for the regeneration of 6 molecules of RuBP at the cost of 6 ATP.
b. Therefore, six turns of Calvin cycle are needed to get one molecule of glucose.
