Glycolysis uses one molecule of glucose in each round of the process.
Glycolysis is a fundamental metabolic pathway that occurs in the cytoplasm of cells. Its primary function is to break down glucose, a six-carbon sugar, into pyruvate, a three-carbon molecule. This process releases energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide).
Here's a breakdown of what happens to that single glucose molecule:
- Input: One molecule of glucose (C6H12O6) enters the glycolytic pathway.
- Process: Through a series of enzymatic reactions, glucose is progressively broken down. This involves phosphorylation, isomerization, and cleavage reactions.
- Output: The breakdown results in two molecules of pyruvate (CH3COCOO−), along with a net gain of two ATP molecules and two NADH molecules.
Therefore, for every round of glycolysis, exactly one molecule of glucose is consumed. The resulting pyruvate can then be further processed in aerobic or anaerobic respiration to extract more energy.
