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Cellular Respiration ​

Tags
Cegep1
Biology
Word count
248 words
Reading time
2 minutes

Combustion of glucose to produce ATP
Redox

C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6 O2 -> 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + 30-32 ATP + heat

Most energy is actually released as heat.

Variation of ATP yield is due to energy loss and proton leakage during chemiosmosis.

Steps ​

Throughout glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation and Krebs cycle, glucose is oxidized and electron carriers (NAD+ and FAD) are reduced. They then transport the electrons to the ETC.

Glycolysis ​

Glucose -> 2 Pyruvate + 2 NADH + 2 ATP
Substrate-level phosphorylation

In cytosol

Phases:

  1. Energy investment phase: glucose + 2 ATP -> 2 G3P
  2. Energy payoff phase: 2 G3P -> 2 Pyruvate + 2 NADH + 4 ATP

Pyruvate oxidation ​

2 Pyruvate -> 2 Acetyl-CoA + 2 NADH + 2 CO2

In mitochondria

Krebs cycle ​

2 Acetyl-CoA -> 6 NADH + 2 FADH2 + 2 ATP + 4 CO2
Substrate-level phosphorylation
A.k.a. citric acid cycle

In mitochondria

Electron transport & chemiosmosis ​

10 NADH + 2 FADH2 + 6 O2 -> 6 H2O + 26-28 ATP
Oxidative phosphorylation

In mitochondria
Makes most of the ATP

Steps:

  1. Complex I / II transfers electrons from NADH / FADH2 to ETC.
  2. Electrons flow through ETC and gives energy to complexes I, III and IV to pump protons to the intermembrane space to generate a proton gradient.
  3. Protons flow through ATP synthase into the matrix, powering phosphorylation.

Contributors

Changelog