BIOL UNIT 4 : ASSIGNMENT ACTIVITY

Introduction:
Glycolysis occurs in both aerobic and anaerobic state. An account of the fate of pyruvate
produced at the end of glycolysis under aerobic and anaerobic conditions includes:

Aerobic State: When pyruvate enters the mitochondria, it undergoes oxidative decarboxylation to
form acetyl-CoA, which finally enters the citric cycle.

Anaerobic state: During fermentation pyruvate is converted to ethanol and Co2 in yeast or
converted to lactate in animals.

The reason why the citric acid cycle or the TCA, also called the Krebs cycle is considered the
central pathway in the energy metabolism of a eukaryotic cell includes:

● It produces NADH and FADH2 when it oxidizes acetyl-CoA. The NADH and FADH2
carries electrons to the ETC.
● During this metabolism, it plays a significant role in connecting glycolysis and fatty acid
oxidation with the electron transport chain.

The main electron carries involved in electron transport chain:

● NADH and FADH2
● Electrons pass through protein complexes and in the end generating proton gradient that
is used to produce ATP in oxidative phosphorylation.

It is beneficial for cells to use ATP rather than energy directly from the bonds of Carbohydrates
because:
● ATP can be used where necessary and is very versatile for cellular activities.
● Energy extracted directly from carbohydrate bonds lacks control and specificity.

The reason why ATP is a high energy compound:

● Due to negative charges repelling each other, ATP Triphosphate tail has high energy.
● When a phosphate bond is broken, it releases energy utilized for cellular proceses.
● Transfer of energy happens when there's phosphorylation of other molecules

Reference
Clark, M.A., Douglas, M., & Choi, J. (2023, July 25). Biology 2e. OpenStax.
Sutipatanasomboon, A. (2021, December 17). Cellular respiration equation, steps, types and
importance. Conduct Science.