The photosynthetic carbon metabolism of Zea mays and Gomphrena globosa: the location of the CO₂ fixation and the carboxyl transfer reactions

Zea mays and Gomphrena globosa form labeled aspartate and malate (C 4 -acids) via β-carboxylation of P-enolpyruvate during photosynthesis. Studies of the redistribution of 14 C in pulse- and chase-type feedings of 14 CO 2 indicate that most labeled phosphorylated compounds are formed from the C 4 -acids. A mechanism involving CO 2 as a transitory intermediate is advanced to explain the carboxyl transfer from the C 4 -acids to 3-phosphoglyceric...