168
J.-F. Cornet et al.
Fig. l. Z-scheme for Spirulina photosynthesis
Volokita et al. [15] and Badger et al. [16]. The intracellular bicarbonate is then
dehydrated via the carbonic anhydrase to CO2, which is incorporated into the
Calvin cycle via the Rubisco. This carbon is dispatched simultaneously for the
synthesis of all the macromolecules in cells (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and
nucleic acids) from the 3-phosphoglycerate as a key intermediate metabolite,
since in cyanobacteria the electron transport chains on thylakoids are the same
for photosynthesis and respiration [17] and consequently the respiration is