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Krebs Cycle

The citric acid cycle (CAC), also known as the Krebs cycle or TCA cycle, is a series of chemical reactions that releases stored energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA derived from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The cycle produces carbon dioxide, reduces NAD+ to NADH, and generates precursors for amino acids. It occurs in the mitochondrial matrix in eukaryotes and the cytosol of prokaryotes. The overall products are three NADH, one FADH2, and one GTP to generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.

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35 views

Krebs Cycle

The citric acid cycle (CAC), also known as the Krebs cycle or TCA cycle, is a series of chemical reactions that releases stored energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA derived from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The cycle produces carbon dioxide, reduces NAD+ to NADH, and generates precursors for amino acids. It occurs in the mitochondrial matrix in eukaryotes and the cytosol of prokaryotes. The overall products are three NADH, one FADH2, and one GTP to generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.

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Clemo 2
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Citric Acid Cycle

The citric acid cycle (CAC) – also known as the TCA cycle (tricarboxylic acid cycle) or the Krebs cycle – is a series
of chemical reactions used by all aerobic organisms to release stored energy through the oxidation of acetyl-
CoA derived from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and carbon dioxide. In
addition, the cycle provides precursors of certain amino acids, as well as the reducing agent NADH, that are
used in numerous other reactions. Its central importance to many biochemical pathways suggests that it was
one of the earliest established components of cellular metabolism and may have originated abiogenically. Even
though it is branded as a 'cycle', it is not necessary for metabolites to follow only one specific route; at least
three segments of the citric acid cycle have been recognized.

The name of this metabolic pathway is derived from the citric acid (a type of tricarboxylic acid, often called
citrate, as the ionized form predominates at biological pH) that is consumed and then regenerated by this
sequence of reactions to complete the cycle. The cycle consumes acetate (in the form of acetyl-CoA) and water,
reduces NAD+ to NADH, and produces carbon dioxide as a waste byproduct. The NADH generated by the citric
acid cycle is fed into the oxidative phosphorylation (electron transport) pathway. The net result of these two
closely linked pathways is the oxidation of nutrients to produce usable chemical energy in the form of ATP.

In eukaryotic cells, the citric acid cycle occurs in the matrix of the mitochondrion. In prokaryotic cells, such as
bacteria, which lack mitochondria, the citric acid cycle reaction sequence is performed in the cytosol with the
proton gradient for ATP production being across the cell's surface (plasma membrane) rather than the inner
membrane of the mitochondrion. The overall yield of energy-containing compounds from the TCA cycle is three
NADH, one FADH2, and one GTP.

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