➢ Glycolysis term is originated from 2 greek words ‘Glycos’; sweet and ‘lysis’ ; breakdown.
➢ It is also known as EMP pathway as scheme of glycolysis
was discovered by three German biochemists named Gustav Embden, Meyerhof and Parnas who studied and explained this mechanism. ➢ A series of complex reactions controlled by different enzymes in which partial oxidation of a carbohydrate (such as glucose) occurs with the production of pyruvic acid and energy stored in high-energy phosphate bonds of ATP ➢ Process occurs in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. ➢ Glycolysis start from glycogen in case of animals and from starch/sucrose in case of plants. ➢ Independent of oxygen i.e it occurs in both aerobic and anaerobic respiration (Glycolysis is the only process in respiration of anaerobic organisms). ➢ Breakdown of starch results in the formation of hexoses that enters in glycolytic pathway.
➢ It takes place in cytoplasm because the enzymes
required for the breakdown of glucose are present there.
➢ Only one reaction occurs in vacuole as well as cytosol
that is conversion of pyruvate from PEP. Enzyme used here is phosphatase that is present in vacuole. Main steps of Glycolytic pathway
a. Phosphorylation of glucose (1st )
b. Isomerization c. Phosphorylation of fructose 6 phosphate (2nd ) d. Cleavage e. Oxidative dehydrogenation f. Isomerization g. Dehydration h. Generation and usage of energy in the form of ATP Biochemistry of glycolysis i. Preparatory phase: It consists of initial stages of oxidation reduction reactions in which glucose is enyzmatically phosphorylated by ATP to produce Fructose-1,6 bisphosphate. This phase can be further described in following steps:
a. Phosphorylation of glucose:
The first step in glycolysis is the conversion of D-glucose
into glucose-6-phosphate. The enzyme that catalyzes this reaction is hexokinase. First Phosphorylation
Phosphorylation: “The process of adding a phosphate group to a molecule derived from
ATP. As a result, at this point in glycolysis, 1 molecule of ATP has been
consumed” b. Isomerization of G-6-P: Rearrangement of glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P) into fructose 6- phosphate (F-6-P) by glucose phosphate isomerase enzyme (Phosphohexose Isomerase). Second Phosphorylation c. Phosphorylation of F-6-P:
Phosphofructokinase, with magnesium as a cofactor, changes
fructose 6-phosphate into fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. Summary of preparatory phase Oxidative Phase • Different steps are involved in oxidative phase of glycolysis. These are as follows:
a. Cleavage of F-1,6 bisphosphate:
The enzyme Aldolase splits fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate
into two sugars that are isomers of each other. These two sugars are dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (GAP). Cleavage phase b. Dehydrogenation of Glyceraldehyde 3-Phosphate: The enzyme phosphotriose isomerase rapidly inter- converts the molecules dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (GAP). Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) dehydrogenates and adds an inorganic phosphate to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, producing 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (energy conserving phase) by the reduction of NAD+. c. Dephosphorylation of 1,3 bisphosphoglyceric acid:
Phosphoglycerate kinase transfers a phosphate group from
1,3-bisphosphoglycerate to ADP to form ATP and 3- phosphoglycerate. d. Isomerization of 3 phosphoglyceric acid: The enzyme phosphoglycerate mutase relocates the phosphate group from 3- phosphoglycerate from the 3rd carbon to the 2nd carbon of 2-phosphoglycerate. A mutase is an enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of a functional group from one position on a molecule to another. e. Formation of phosphoenol pyruvate:
The enzyme enolase removes a molecule of water from
2-phosphoglycerate to form phosphoenolpyruvic acid (PEP).
f. Formation of Pyruvate:
The enzyme pyruvate kinase transfers a phosphate
group from phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to ADP to form pyruvic acid and ATP Energy Balance of Glycolysis i. 2 molecules of Pyruvate are formed.
ii. 2 molecules of ATP are consumed and 4 are generated so net
ATP formed will be 2.
iii. 2 molecules of NADH2 are produced that are equivalent to 4