2. Which reactions of glycolysis can be reversed? Which reactions are irreversible?

What is
the significance of metabolically irreversible reactions?

The above image shows

the reactions and process of Glycolysis. Based on this, it can be inferred that the reactions of
glycolysis that can be reversed are: (1) Glucose phosphate Isomerase (Glucose-6-phosphate to
fructose-6-phosphate), (2) Aldolase (Fructose-1,6-biphosphate to Dihydroxyacetone phosphate),
(3) Triose phosphate Isomerase (Dihydroxyacetone phosphate to Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate),
(4)Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to 1,3-bis-
Posphoglycerate), (5)Phosphoglycerate kinase (1,3-bis-Posphoglycerate to 3-Phosphogylcerate),
(6)Phosphoglycerate mutase (3-Phosphogylcerate to 2-Phosphogylcerate), (7)Enolase (2-
Phosphoglycerate to Phosphoenolpyruvate).
On the other hand, the reactions involved that are irreversible are: (1) hexokinase
(Glucose to Glucose-6-phosphate), (2) Phosphofructokinase (Fructose-6-phosphate to Fructose-
1,6-biphosphate) and (3)Pyruvate kinase (Phosphoenolpyruvate to Pyruvate). The significance
of these irreversible reactions is that they are needed to control the glycolic pathway and ensure
the production of ATP. Hence, these enzymes would be expected to have regulatory as well as
catalytic roles. In fact, each of them serves as a control site. Their activities are regulated by the
reversible binding of allosteric effectors or by covalent modification. In addition, the amounts of
these important enzymes are varied by the regulation of transcription to meet changing
metabolic needs.