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Glycolysis overview

This flowchart shows the different steps in glycolysis in detail. The top panel shows the energy-consuming phase, the middle panel shows the coupling of phosphorylation with oxidation, and the bottom panel shows the energy-releasing phase.
During the energy-consuming phase of glycolysis, two ATPs are consumed, transferring two phosphates to the glucose molecule. The glucose molecule then splits into two three-carbon compounds, each containing a phosphate. During the second phase, an additional phosphate is added to each of the three-carbon compounds. The energy for this endergonic reaction is provided by the removal (oxidation) of two electrons from each three-carbon compound. During the energy-releasing phase, the phosphates are removed from both three-carbon compounds and used to produce four ATP molecules.

Watch this video to learn about glycolysis.

Glycolysis can be divided into two phases: energy consuming (also called chemical priming) and energy yielding. The first phase is the energy-consuming phase    , so it requires two ATP molecules to start the reaction for each molecule of glucose. However, the end of the reaction produces four ATPs, resulting in a net gain of two ATP energy molecules.

Glycolysis can be expressed as the following equation:

Glucose + 2ATP + 2NAD +  + 4ADP + 2P i    2 Pyruvate + 4ATP + 2NADH + 2H + MathType@MTEF@5@5@+=feaagyart1ev2aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLnhiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq=Jc9vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0=yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr=xfr=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@6726@

This equation states that glucose, in combination with ATP (the energy source), NAD + (a coenzyme that serves as an electron acceptor), and inorganic phosphate, breaks down into two pyruvate molecules, generating four ATP molecules—for a net yield of two ATP—and two energy-containing NADH coenzymes. The NADH that is produced in this process will be used later to produce ATP in the mitochondria. Importantly, by the end of this process, one glucose molecule generates two pyruvate molecules, two high-energy ATP molecules, and two electron-carrying NADH molecules.

The following discussions of glycolysis include the enzymes responsible for the reactions. When glucose enters a cell, the enzyme hexokinase (or glucokinase, in the liver) rapidly adds a phosphate to convert it into glucose-6-phosphate    . A kinase is a type of enzyme that adds a phosphate molecule to a substrate (in this case, glucose, but it can be true of other molecules also). This conversion step requires one ATP and essentially traps the glucose in the cell, preventing it from passing back through the plasma membrane, thus allowing glycolysis to proceed. It also functions to maintain a concentration gradient with higher glucose levels in the blood than in the tissues. By establishing this concentration gradient, the glucose in the blood will be able to flow from an area of high concentration (the blood) into an area of low concentration (the tissues) to be either used or stored. Hexokinase is found in nearly every tissue in the body. Glucokinase , on the other hand, is expressed in tissues that are active when blood glucose levels are high, such as the liver. Hexokinase has a higher affinity for glucose than glucokinase and therefore is able to convert glucose at a faster rate than glucokinase. This is important when levels of glucose are very low in the body, as it allows glucose to travel preferentially to those tissues that require it more.

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Source:  OpenStax, Anatomy & Physiology: energy, maintenance and environmental exchange. OpenStax CNX. Aug 21, 2014 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11701/1.1
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