MadSci Network: Biochemistry
Query:

Re: What is Cellular Respiration and how does it look.

Date: Sat Feb 6 08:23:00 1999
Posted By: Despina MAVROGIANNI, Other (pls. specify below), Medical School of Athens, University of Athens
Area of science: Biochemistry
ID: 917564791.Bc
Message:

Cellular respiration is how cells make energy for life. It is an ATP- generating process in which an inorganic compound such as O2 serves as the ultimate electron acceptor. The electron donor can be either an organic compound or an inorganic one. It has 3 distinctive steps:

  1. Glycolysis
  2. Citric acid cycle (or Kreb's Cycle)
  3. Oxidative Phosphorylation.
Glycolysis is the set of reactions that converts glucose into pyruvate. The glycolytic pathway has a dual role: it degrades glucose to generate ATP, and it provides building blocks for the synthesis of cellular components.

Under aerobic conditions (in the presence of oxygen), the next step in the generation of energy from glucose is the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to form acetyl coenzyme. This activated acetyl unit is then completely oxidized to CO2.

The citric acid cycle is the final common pathway for the oxidation of fuel molecules-amino acids, fatty acids and carbohydrates.

Oxidative phosphorylation is the process in which ATP is formed as a result of the transfer of electrons from NADH or FADH2 to O2 by a series of electron carriers.


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