Calvin cycle
SBPase is involved in the regeneration of 5-carbon sugars during the Calvin cycle. Although SBPase has not been emphasized as an important control point in the Calvin cycle historically, it plays a large part in controlling the flux of carbon through the Calvin cycle. Additionally, SBPase activity has been found to have a strong correlation with the amount of photosynthetic carbon fixation. Like many Calvin cycle enzymes, SBPase is activated in the presence of light through a ferredoxin/thioredoxin system. In the light reactions of photosynthesis, light energy powers the transport of electrons to eventually reduce ferredoxin. The enzyme ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase uses reduced ferredoxin to reduce thioredoxin from the disulfide form to the dithiol. Finally, the reduced thioredoxin is used to reduced a cysteine-cysteine disulfide bond in SBPase to a dithiol, which converts the SBPase into its active form.