Module 5 essay #2

The tricarboxylic acid cycle goes by a couple of names. It is also known as the Kreb’s cycle,
named after Hans Krebs, and the citric acid cycle. TCA received the name citric acid cycle
because citric acid the first product of the cycle, it is regenerated at the end of the cycle, and it
also has three carboxyl groups. The citric acid cycle takes place in the mitochondria. Before the
TCA cycle can begin, pyruvate must be converted into acetyl CoA. The three carbon pyruvate
produced from glycolysis enters the mitochondria in the presence of oxygen. The carboxyl group
of pyruvate (CO2) is removed. Oxidation of the remained carbons occur and form acetate. The
electrons are transferred to NAD+. Next, coenzyme A (CoA) is derived and attached to the acetyl
group (acetate) from the previous step. Now the acetyl coenzyme A is ready to enter the
tricarboxylic acid cycle. The citric acid cycle consists of eight different steps. In step one, citrate
is produced from the addition of two carbons from acetyl CoA’s acetyl group to oxaloacetate.
Next water is removed and then added to citrate to convert it to isocitrate (citrates isomer). The
third step that takes place is the oxidation of isocitrate. NAD+ is reduced to NADH and CO2 is
lost. During this process, alpha ketoglutarate is formed. In step four, another molecule of CO2 is
lost. The compound is now oxidized and once again NAD+ is reduced to NADH. Whatever
molecule is left, it is bonded to CoA and succinyl CoA is produced. The next step involves the
displacement of CoA caused by a phosphate group and it is transferred to GDP. GDP now
becomes GTP. GTP can function similarly to ATP. GTP can also generate ATP or do work in
the cell as ATP would. After the reaction, succinate is formed. During step six, fumarate is
formed from oxidation of succinate by the transfer of two H to FAD (flavin adenine
dinucleotide). With the acceptance of two electrons and two protons, FAD becomes FADH2. In
step seven water is added and it rearranges the bonds in the substrate forming malate. During the
final step, the substrate is oxidized. NAD+ is reduced to NADH and oxaloacetate is regenerated
and the cycle starts all over again. the tricarboxylic acid cycle only produces one ATP per turn,
which is not a lot of energy. The cycle produces most of its energy through the chemical transfer
redox reaction of NAD+ and FAD. When these two enzymes are reduced to NADH and FADH2,
they shuttles their electrons to the electron transport chain.