Question

Why is rubisco so inefficient?

Answer 1

Rubisco:

1. Rubisco (ribulose ,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) is an enzyme present in chloroplasts of plants.
2. It helps in carbon fixation through which atmospheric carbon dioxide is converted by plants into energy-giving molecules like glucose during photosynthesis.
3. Rubisco is the most abundant protein in the world because it is present in every plant that go through photosynthesis and molecular synthesis through the Calvin cycle.
4. In spite of its important role, it has a very slow catalytic rate and is very inefficient.
5. Generally all enzymes can process a thousand molecules per second, while rubisco fixes only about three carbon dioxide molecules per second.
6. Plant cells compensate for this slow rate by producing rubisco enzyme in large quantities.