Glycolate pathway is meant of metabolism of carbohydrate. It involves the conversion of 2 molecules of phosphoglycolate to a molecule of serine and a molecule of CO2. This pathway salvages the carbon from phosphoglycolate. It involves 3 cellular compartments, chloroplast, peroxisome and mitochondria.
Glycolate formed by dephosphorylation of phosphoglycolate in chloroplast is transaminated to glycine in peroxisomes.
In mitochondria, two glycine molecules condense to form serine and the CO2 is released during photorespiration. The serine thus formed is converted to hydroxypyruvate and then to glycerate in peroxisomes and glycerate re-enters the chloroplast to be phosphorylated, rejoining the Calvin cycle.
