Phosphoglycolate phosphatase

Phosphoglycolate phosphatase(PGP), also commonly referred to as phosphoglycolate hydrolase, 2-phosphoglycolate phosphatase, P-glycolate phosphatase, and phosphoglycollate phosphatase, is an enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of 2-phosphoglycolate into glycolate and phosphate. First studied and purified within plants, phosphoglycolate phosphatase plays a major role in photorespiratory 2-phosphoglycolate metabolism, an essential pathway for photosynthesis in plants. The occurrence of photorespiration in plants, due to the lack of substrate specificity of rubisco, leads to the formation of 2-phosphoglycolate and 3-phosphogylcerate(PGA). PGA is the normal product of carboxylation and will enter the Calvin cycle. Phosphoglycolate, which is a potent inhibitor of phosphofructokinase and triosephosphate isomerase, must be quickly metabolized and transformed into a useful substrate, and phosphoglycolate phosphatase catalyzes the first step in the regeneration of 3-phosphoglycerate from 2-phosphoglycolate at the expense of energy in the form of ATP.