GLYCOLYSIS: is the central pathway for the glucose catabolism in which glucose (6-carbon compound) is

converted into pyruvate (3-carbon compound) through a sequence of 10 steps.

STEPS:

1. Conversion of D-glucose to Glucose-6-Phosphate

 Enzyme involved: Hexokinase
 Important processes: Glucose ring is phosphorylated.
 Products consumed: 1 molecule ATP
 Products created: Glucose-6-Phosphate (G6P)
 Other Notes: Atomic Mg is also used in shielding negative charges as a cofactor.
2. Isomerization of Glucose-6-phosphate
 Enzyme involved: Phosphoglucoisomerase
 Important processes: C-O bond is rearranged to transform the 6-membered ring to 5.
 Products created: F6P
 Other notes: None
3. Phosphorylation of fructose-6-phosphate
 Enzyme involved: Phosphofructokinase
 Important processes: Fructose-6-phosphate is converted into fructose-1,6-
bisphosphate.
 Products consumed: 1 molecule ATP
 Products created: Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate
 Other notes: Mg is also used in this process.
4. Cleavage of fructose 1, 6-diphosphate
 Enzyme involved: Aldolase
 Important processes: Aldolase splits fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate into two sugars that are
isomers of each other.
 Products created: DHAP and PGAL
 Other notes: None
5. Isomerization of dihydroxyacetone phosphate
 Enzyme involved: triose phosphate isomerase
 Important processes: DHAP is isomerized into G3P
 Products created: 2 G3P
 Other notes: The 1st phase of glycolysis has ended.
6. Oxidative Phosphorylation of Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate
 Enzyme involved: Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase
 Important processes: G3P is converted into 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate
 Products created: 2 NADH and 1,3-bisphosphogylcerate
 Other notes: G3P is oxidized by NAD and the molecule is phosphorylated by the addition
of the free phosphate group
 7. Transfer of phosphate from 1, 3-bisphosphoglycerate to ADP
 Enzyme involved: Phosphoglycerate kinase
 Important processes: involves the transfer of phosphate group from the 1, 3-
bisphosphoglycerate to ADP to create 3-Phosphoglycerate
 Products created: 2 ATPs and 3-Phosphoglycerate
 Other notes: This step is the ATP-generating step of glycolysis, Mg atom is once again
utilized.
8. Isomerization of 3-phosphoglycerate
 Enzyme involved: Phosphoglycerate mutase
 Important processes: This step involve a simple rearrangement of the position of the
phosphate group on the 3 phosphoglycerate making it 2 phosphoglycerates.
 Products created: 2-Phosphoglycerate
 Other notes: None.
9. Dehydration of 2-phosphoglycerate
 Enzyme involved: Enolase
 Important processes: the 2-phosphoglycerate is dehydrated by the action of enolase to
phosphoenolpyruvate.
 Products consumed: 2 mols of water
 Products created: Phosphoenolpyruvate
 Other notes: None
10. Transfer of phosphate from phosphoenolpyruvate
 Enzyme involved: Pyruvate Kinase
 Important processes: transfers a P from phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to ADP to form
pyruvic acid and ATP
 Products created: 2 ATP and 2 Pyruvate molecules

In summary, a single glucose molecule in glycolysis

produces a total of 2 molecules of pyruvate, 2

molecules of ATP, 2 molecules of NADH and 2
molecules of water.