Glycolysis Lab Report

2445 Words10 Pages
The first step is called glycolysis, which occurs in the cytosol in cells. It starts with glucose and ends with 2 pyruvates. Glycolysis works in both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The first and one of the most important steps in glycolysis is facilitated by an enzyme called hexokinase (kinase enzymes work on phosphate groups). Hexokinase utilises ATP. Between the phosphate bonds in ATP there is energy. ATP donates a phosphate group and becomes ADP, donating energy also. Hexokinase facilitates this process. In doing so, it adds a phosphate group to the 6th carbon of glucose. The glucose molecules is now called glucose-6-phosphate. This is an energy requiring step. The next step involves utilising glucose-6-phsphate as well as the enzyme…show more content…
This representation reflects the fact that there is a hybrid ion represented by the H in NADH and one hydrogen atom represented by H+. The hybrid ion is passed as an electron from complex to complex in the ETC, while the hydrogen atom is shuttled by each of the complexes into the intermembrane space to create a hydrogen ion gradient. This gradient will later be used by oxidative phosphoralation to create ATP. NADH with H+ enters the ETC via the NADH dehydrogenase complex (A.K.A Complex 1). NADH dehydrogenase removes the electrons with the hydrogen atom from NADH. NADH dehydrogenase contains a flavin mononucleotide molecule that allows for the acceptance of electrons and a hydrogen from NADH. NADH dehydrogenase shuttles the hydrogen ion from NADH into the mitochondrial intermembrane space, then passes the electrons down the ETC cycle. NADH dehydrogenase contains an iron sulphur complex that allows transfer of electrons to coenzyme Q (CoQ) which is an intermediary complex between Complex 1 and Complex 3. An alternate name for Complex Q is Ubiquinone. The importance of CoQ is that not only does it accept electrons from NADH dehydrogenase complex (A.K.A Complex 1) but it can also accept electrons from Complex 2 (A.K.A succinate dehydrogenase). Succinate is one of the intermediate products in the citric acid cycle. Succinate dehydrogenase acts on succinate to create fumarate in the citric acid cycle. In the…show more content…
Oxygen is the final electron acceptor of the ETC to produce water. In the entire ETC electrons are passed from complex to complex, in the meantime each complex pushes hydrogen atoms into the intermembrane space. This is a very important part of the ETC cycle, the shuttling of hydrogen atoms into the intermembrane space creates a gradient. This gradient that is created is like stretching a rubber band, in that there is a lot of energy being put it, and as soon as the rubber band is let go it flying due to the pent up energy. The hydrogen gradient is the same way. Oxidative phosphorylation is a process in which gradient will be relieved creating a large amount of ATP. The main enzyme that runs oxidative phosphoralation (OP) is Complex 5 (A.K.A ATP synthase). ATP synthase is a channel that allows protons to flow from one side of the membrane to the other. As these protons flow, the energy they create as they pass fuels the phosphorylation of ADP to ATP. For each proton that flows through ATP synthase, one ATP molecule is produced. NADH donates its electrons at Complex 1, so its electrons facilitate protons being pumped at Complex 1, 3 and 4. FADH gives its electrons at Complex 2 which is the only complex in the ETC that does not pump protons. The electrons from FADH facilitate hydrogen pumping at Complex 3 and 4. Because of this, NADH results in a higher production

More about Glycolysis Lab Report

Open Document