How many molecules of NADH and FADH2 are made if one glucose molecule goes through glycolysis and the TCA cycle? Show your work here by naming all different steps that make NADH and FADH2.
Cellular respiration is a collection of three metabolic pathways that generate ATP the energy currency for metabolic transactions by oxidation of glucose. The three pathways are Glycolysis, Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle and Electron transport chain(ETC). Glycolysis that occurs in the cytoplasm, TCA and ETC occurs in mitochondria.
In glycolysis, a 6-carbon molecule of glucose-6-phosphate is broken down into 3-carbon pyruvate. It consists of 10 enzymatically catalysed reactions but all reactions do not produce ATP.
Pyruvate is oxidised to acetyl CoA by the enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase Acetyl CoA delivers the acetyl group to the TCA cycle.
The TCA cycle used this acetate and water to reduce NAD+ to NADH and FAD+ to FADH2. For every Acetyl CoA, we get 3NADH and 1 FADH2 and 1 GTP from TCA.
Under aerobic conditions, NADH/FADH2 enters The Electron Transport Chain to regenerate NAD+ and FAD.
ETC consist of four protein complexes called Complex I, II, III and IV that transport electron from electron donors (NADH/FADH2) to electron acceptor: Oxygen and in the meanwhile generate a proton gradient. ATP Synthase uses the energy stored in the proton to generate ATP.
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