Give a detailed account of the Hatch and Slack pathway with the help of a diagram

CBSE Class 11
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Give a detailed account of the Hatch and Slack pathway with the help of a diagram.

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  • The Hatch and Slack pathway is a cyclic pathway for CO2 fixation.
  • The primary CO2 acceptor is a 3-carbon compound phosphoenol pyruvate (PEP) which is present in mesophyll cells.
  • PEP in the mesophyll cells is converted to oxaloacetic acid (OAA), which is then further converted into a 4-carbon compound such as malic acid or aspartic acid, which is then transported to the bundle sheath cells.
  • In the bundle sheath cells, it is again broken down into a 3-carbon compound with the release of CO2.
  • The CO2 released enters the Calvin cycle in the bundle sheath cells, while the 3-carbon compound is transported back to the mesophyll cells.
  • In the mesophyll cells, the 3-carbon compound is converted back to PEP, thus completing the cycle.
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