Question

What happens in the citric acid cycle?

Answer 1

Citric acid cycle:

1. The citric acid cycle is a vital metabolic hub in the cell.
2. The citric acid cycle is made up of eight enzymes, all of which are found within the mitochondrial matrix except succinate dehydrogenase.
3. Succinate dehydrogenase is found on the inner mitochondrial membrane and is associated with the respiratory chain.
4. Cellular respiration is a catabolic reaction taking place in the cells.
5. It is a biochemical process by which nutrients are broken down to release energy, which gets stored in the form of ATP, and waste products are released.
6. For compounds that can convert to an acetyl group or dicarboxylic acid, the cycle acts as a gateway to aerobic metabolism.
7. The citric acid cycle is the mitochondrial center for the last steps of carbon skeleton oxidative degradation for carbs, amino acids, and fatty acids.
8. Each oxidative step decreases a coenzyme like nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) or flavin adenine dinucleotide (FADH₂).
9. These reduced coenzymes directly contribute to the electron transport chain, and hence to the bulk of ATP generation in the human body.