Key Terms
- acetyl CoA
- combination of an acetyl group derived from pyruvic acid and coenzyme A, which is made from pantothenic acid, a B-group vitamin
- aerobic respiration
- process in which organisms convert energy in the presence of oxygen
- anaerobic
- process that does not use oxygen
- anaerobic cellular respiration
- process in which organisms convert energy for their use in the absence of oxygen
- ATP synthase
- (also, F1F0 ATP synthase) membrane-embedded protein complex that adds a phosphate to ADP with energy from protons diffusing through it
- chemiosmosis
- process in which there is a production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in cellular metabolism by the involvement of a proton gradient across a membrane
- citric acid cycle
- (also, Krebs cycle) series of enzyme-catalyzed chemical reactions of central importance in all living cells
- dephosphorylation
- removal of a phosphate group from a molecule
- fermentation
- process of regenerating NAD+ with either an inorganic or organic compound serving as the final electron acceptor; occurs in the absence of oxygen
- GLUT protein
- integral membrane protein that transports glucose
- glycolysis
- process of breaking glucose into two three-carbon molecules with the production of ATP and NADH
- isomerase
- enzyme that converts a molecule into its isomer
- Krebs cycle
- (also, citric acid cycle) alternate name for the citric acid cycle, named after Hans Krebs who first identified the steps in the pathway in the 1930s in pigeon flight muscles; see citric acid cycle
- oxidative phosphorylation
- production of ATP using the process of chemiosmosis and oxygen
- phosphorylation
- addition of a high-energy phosphate to a compound, usually a metabolic intermediate, a protein, or ADP
- prosthetic group
- (also, prosthetic cofactor) molecule bound to a protein that facilitates the function of the protein
- pyruvate
- three-carbon sugar that can be decarboxylated and oxidized to make acetyl CoA, which enters the citric acid cycle under aerobic conditions; the end product of glycolysis
- redox reaction
- chemical reaction that consists of the coupling of an oxidation reaction and a reduction reaction
- substrate-level phosphorylation
- production of ATP from ADP using the excess energy from a chemical reaction and a phosphate group from a reactant
- TCA cycle
- (also, citric acid cycle) alternate name for the citric acid cycle, named after the group name for citric acid, tricarboxylic acid (TCA); see citric acid cycle
- ubiquinone
- soluble electron transporter in the electron transport chain that connects the first or second complex to the third