TCA Cycle (Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle)

TCA cycle or Tricarboxylic Cycle is also known as Kreb’s Cycle or Citric Acid
Cycle. It is the second stage of cellular respiration that occurs in the matrix of
mitochondria. All the enzymes involved in the citric acid cycle are soluble.
It is an aerobic pathway because NADH and FADH2 produced transfer their
electrons to the next pathway which will use oxygen.

Steps of TCA Cycle

Following are the important steps of the TCA cycle:

Step 1
Acetyl Co-A combines with a four-carbon compound, oxaloacetate, and
releases the CoA group resulting in a six-carbon molecule called citrate.

Step 2
In the second step, citrate gets converted to isocitrate, an isomer of citrate.
This is a two-step process. Citrate rst loses a water molecule and then gains
one to form isocitrate.

Step 3
The third step involves oxidation of isocitrate. A molecule of carbon dioxide is
released leaving behind a ve-carbon molecule, ɑ-ketoglutarate. NAD+ gets
reduced to NADH. The entire process is catalyzed by the enzyme isocitrate
dehydrogenase.

Step 4
Here, ɑ-ketoglutarate is oxidized reducing NAD+ to NADH and releasing a
molecule of carbon dioxide.
CoA is picked up by the remaining four-carbon molecules forming an unstable
compound succinyl CoA. ɑ-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase catalyzes the entire
process.

Step 5
fi
fi
CoA from succinyl CoA is replaced with a phosphate group. It is then
transferred to ADP to make ATP. Succinate, a four-carbon molecule is
produced in this step.

Step 6
Succinate is oxidized to fumarate. Two hydrogen atoms are transferred to
FAD to produce FADH2. FADH2 transfers its electrons directly to the electron
transport chain since the enzyme carrying out the reaction is embedded in the
inner membrane of mitochondria.

Step 7
A water molecule is added to fumarate which is then converted to malate.

Step 8
The oxidation of malate regenerates oxaloacetate, a four-carbon compound,
and another molecule of NAD+ is reduced to NADH in this step.

End Products of TCA Cycle

Following are the end products of TCA cycle:
1. 6 NADH
2. 2 ATPs
3. 2 FADH2