Only plant-type (GLYK) glycerate kinases produce d-glycerate 3-phosphate.

D-Glycerate kinases (GK) occur in three phylogenetically distinct classes. Class II GKs produce glycerate 2-phosphate, while both class I GK and class III GK (GLYK) are thought to produce glycerate 3-phosphate. We report on the identification of a bacterial-type class I GK in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 and of a plant-type GLYK in the filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. strain PCC 7120. The comparison with other prokaryotic and eukaryotic GKs of both classes shows that glycerate 3-phosphate is produced only by the GLYKs, but, in contrast to current thinking, not by any of the examined class I enzymes.