To test the hypothesis that a particular plant synthesizes storage lipids by using glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (G3P) from photosy
nthesis, a researcher plans to use radiolabeled precursors to track the molecules through the biosynthetic pathway. Which radiolabeled precursors is most appropriate for the researcher to use?
Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants fix the atmospheric CO2 into glucose. The process includes carbon fixation during which RuBisCo enzyme catalyzes the reaction of CO2 and a five-carbon compound called RuBP to form 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA). The 3-PGA enters the reduction phase of the Calvin cycle wherein it is reduced into glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. Two molecules of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate make one molecule of glucose.
To test the hypothesis that glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate from photosynthesis is used by plants to synthesize lipids, radiolabeled CO2 must be used. The radiolabeled carbon atom in the CO2 would be fixed in the form of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. If the plant uses glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate as a precursor for lipid synthesis, the synthesized lipid molecules would carry the radiolabeled carbon atom.
