RuBisCO facts for kids

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase, usually called RuBisCO, is a very important enzyme. An enzyme is like a tiny helper molecule that speeds up chemical reactions in living things. RuBisCO helps plants and other organisms take carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into food. This process is called carbon fixation.

Spacefilling view of RuBisCO showing the arrangement of the large chains (white/grey) and the small chains (blue and orange).

What is RuBisCO and What Does It Do?

RuBisCO is special because it starts the main process of carbon fixation in the Calvin cycle. The Calvin cycle is a series of steps that plants use to make sugar. Imagine plants "breathing in" carbon dioxide from the air. RuBisCO grabs this carbon dioxide.

It then helps to change the carbon dioxide into energy-rich molecules, like glucose, which plants use for food and growth. RuBisCO takes a large molecule with six carbon atoms and splits it into two smaller parts. This is the first big step in making food for the plant!

Why is RuBisCO So Important?

RuBisCO is incredibly important for all life on Earth. It's the main way that inorganic carbon (like carbon dioxide from the air) gets turned into organic carbon (the kind found in living things). Without RuBisCO, plants couldn't make their own food, and most other life forms wouldn't have food either!

This enzyme is also the most common protein found in plant leaves. In fact, it's the most abundant protein on our planet! It makes up a big part of the proteins in plant leaves.

Improving RuBisCO for Better Crops

Because RuBisCO is so vital, scientists are working to make it even better. They are using genetic engineering to try and create crop plants with more efficient RuBisCO. This could help plants grow faster and produce more food. It's a way to help feed more people around the world!

Images for kids

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  This picture shows the active site of RuBisCO from a special kind of algae called Galdieria sulphuraria. The active site is where the enzyme does its work. You can see the carbon dioxide molecule (CO2) and other parts that help the enzyme work. The green ball is a magnesium ion, which is important for the reaction.

See also

In Spanish: RuBisCO para niños