Biochemistry: Glycolysis

Flashcards covering key concepts of glycolysis and related metabolic pathways.

Glycolysis

A central metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate, producing ATP and NADH.

Pyruvate

A three-carbon molecule that is the end product of glycolysis.

ATP

A molecule that stores and transfers energy within cells.

NADH

A reduced coenzyme that carries electrons in cellular respiration.

Hexokinase

An enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate.

Phosphofructokinase (PFK)

The key regulatory enzyme in glycolysis that converts fructose 6-phosphate to fructose 1,6-bisphosphate.

Substrate-level phosphorylation

A method of generating ATP by directly transferring a phosphate group to ADP from a phosphorylated intermediate.

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GAP)

An intermediate in glycolysis that is formed from glucose and eventually converted to pyruvate.

Aerobic metabolism

The metabolic pathway that requires oxygen to produce energy from pyruvate.

Anaerobic metabolism

The metabolic pathway that does not require oxygen and leads to processes such as fermentation.

Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate

The product of the phosphorylation of fructose 6-phosphate by phosphofructokinase.

Acetyl CoA

A molecule that enters the citric acid cycle and is produced from the oxidation of pyruvate.

Lactate

A three-carbon compound produced from pyruvate during anaerobic respiration.

Ethanol

A two-carbon compound produced from pyruvate during alcoholic fermentation.

Galactose

A monosaccharide that can be converted into glucose-6-phosphate to enter glycolysis.

Fructose

A monosaccharide that can enter glycolysis through conversion to fructose-6-phosphate or glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate.

Committed step

An irreversible step in a metabolic pathway that commits the substrate to a specific fate.