Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase

The Uses of Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) is an enzyme useful for enzymatic determination of carbon dioxide when coupled with malate dehydrogenase in clinical analysis. PEPC is also used to study carbon assimilation, post-translational regulation and allosteric regulation in various plants .

Biochem/physiol Actions

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) catalyzes the addition of bicarbonate to phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to form the four-carbon compound oxaloacetate and inorganic phosphate . In CAM and C4 plants, PEPC catalyzes the photosynthetic assimilation of CO2 into an organic acid. PEPC is activated by glucose-6-phosphate and is inhibited by malate and aspartate. PEPC comprises about 0.5-2% of the soluble protein in alfalfa and soybean nodules .