Does pyruvate oxidation occur in the cytoplasm?
Does pyruvate oxidation occur in the cytoplasm?
Pyruvate is produced by glycolysis in the cytoplasm, but pyruvate oxidation takes place in the mitochondrial matrix (in eukaryotes). So, before the chemical reactions can begin, pyruvate must enter the mitochondrion, crossing its inner membrane and arriving at the matrix.
How is pyruvate oxidation regulated?
The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is inhibited by products of its reactions; it is also regulated by a phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle catalysed by a kinase intrinsic to the complex and by a more loosely associated phosphatase.
Why is pyruvate imported from the cytoplasm into the mitochondrial matrix?
– Pyruvate is the starting substrate for the citric acid cycle, which takes place in the mitochondrial matrix. – Pyruvate is a toxic byproduct of glycolysis, and the cell removes this compound by importing it into mitochondria, where it can be degraded into non-toxic acetyl-CoA.
Where in eukaryotes is pyruvate is converted to acetyl CoA?
mitochondria
What is the main purpose of pyruvate oxidation?
Why is pyruvate oxidation important to cellular respiration in general? Pyruvate oxidation oxidized pyruvate into acetyl-coA, which is the molecule that fuels the citric acid cycle. Without pyruvate oxidation the process would not go to completion .
What does pyruvate convert to in the absence of oxygen?
When oxygen is not present, pyruvate will undergo a process called fermentation. In the process of fermentation the NADH + H+ from glycolysis will be recycled back to NAD+ so that glycolysis can continue. Fermentation does not require oxygen and is therefore anaerobic.
Is oxygen used in pyruvate oxidation?
Glycolysis can take place without oxygen in a process called fermentation. The other three stages of cellular respiration—pyruvate oxidation, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation—require oxygen in order to occur.
Why do we break down glucose?
Most carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are converted into glucose before they are broken down in the cytosol to release energy. If oxygen is present, then glucose can be broken all the way down into carbon dioxide and water. This process is called aerobic respiration because it requires air (oxygen).