rubisco

See also: RuBisCO

English

Alternative forms

• RuBisCO, Rubisco

Etymology

Coined by David Eisenberg, from r(ib)u(lose) + bis(phosphate) + c(arboxylase) + o(xygenase).

Noun

rubisco (plural rubiscos)

1. (biochemistry) A plant enzyme (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase) which catalyzes both the fixing of atmospheric carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and the reverse process of photorespiration. [from 20th c.]
   • 2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherworlds, Penguin, published 2023, page 29:

     To turn light into food takes several steps, but the key is an extremely inefficient enzyme called RuBisCO.