Question

What happens during pyruvate decarboxylation?

Answer 1

Pyruvate decarboxylation:

1. Pyruvate undergoes oxidative decarboxylation to produce acetyl CoA.
2. Pyruvic acid is a product of glycolysis. Pyruvate is oxidized in the presence of a complex known as pyruvate dehydrogenase.
3. In the reaction:

1. Carboxyl groups are removed and carbon dioxide is released. NAD⁺ is reduced to NADH. Acetyl Co-A is formed.
2. The products formed from the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate are molecules that are primarily involved in the metabolism of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. This molecule also contributes to the acetyl group during the Krebs cycle.
3. This is an irreversible oxidation process in which the carboxyl group is removed from the pyruvate as a CO2 molecule and the remaining two atoms become the acetyl group of acetyl-CoA.
4. The main function of acetyl-CoA is to function as a carrier molecule in the citric acid cycle.
5. It carries acetyl groups to the citric acid cycle and oxidizes them to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy.
6. Oxidation of acetyl groups produces 11 ATP molecules and 1 GTP molecule.