Glycolysis Enzymes: Difference between revisions

The final reaction of the pathway is catalyzed by [[Pyruvate Kinase|pyruvate kinase]], which converts phosphoenolpyruvate to <scene name='39/392339/Cv/16'>pyruvate</scene>, while generating ATP from ADP.

Under oxidative conditions, pyruvate continues to be metabolized through the [[The_Citric_Acid_Cycle|tricarboxylic acid cycle]].  While energy can be obtained under anaerobic conditions from glycolysis alone, the accumulation of pyruvate and NADH limits this. There are two main strategies for dealing with this problem.  In most cells, [[Lactate_Dehydrogenase|lactate dehydrogenase]] converts the <scene name='39/392339/Cv/16'>pyruvate</scene> and NADH to <scene name='39/392339/Cv1/10'>lactate</scene>, dealing with both problems at once and regenerating NAD+ so glycolysis can continue.  Fortunately for us, some yeast cells do something else--leading to the generation of ethanol. First, [[Pyruvate decarboxylase|pyruvate decarboxylase]] catalyzes the converstion from pyruvate to acetaldehyde, releasing carbon dioxide. Next, aldehyde dehydogenase reduces the acetaldehyde to ethanol, converting NADH to NAD+ in the process.