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Faculty Name: Dr. Kumari Sushma Saroj

Department: Zoology

College: Dr. L. K. V. D College, Tajpur, Samastipur

Class: B.Sc Part –III (Hons.)

Paper: V

Group – A

Topic: Glycolysis

GLYCOLYSIS

Glycolysis is the metabolic process that serves as the foundation for both
aerobic and anaerobic cellular respiration. In glycolysis, glucose is
converted into pyruvate. Glucose is a six- membered ring molecule found in
the blood and is usually a result of the breakdown of carbohydrates into
sugars. It enters cells through specific transporter proteins that move it from
outside the cell into the cell’s cytosol. All of the glycolytic enzymes are
found in the cytosol.

The overall reaction of glycolysis which occurs in the cytoplasm

is represented simply as:

C6H12O6 + 2 NAD+ + 2 ADP + 2 P —–> 2 pyruvic acid, (CH3(C=O)COOH

+ 2 ATP + 2 NADH + 2 H+

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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Fig: - 10 Steps of Glycolysis

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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Step 1: Hexokinase

The first step in glycolysis is the conversion of D-glucose into glucose-6-

phosphate. The enzyme that catalyzes this reaction is hexokinase.

Here, the glucose ring is phosphorylated. Phosphorylation is the process of

adding a phosphate group to a molecule derived from ATP. As a result, at
this point in glycolysis, 1 molecule of ATP has been consumed.

The reaction occurs with the help of the enzyme hexokinase, an enzyme
that catalyzes the phosphorylation of many six- membered glucose-like ring
structures. Atomic magnesium (Mg) is also involved to help shield the
negative charges from the phosphate groups on the ATP molecule. The
result of this phosphorylation is a molecule called glucose-6-phosphate
(G6P), thusly called because the 6′ carbon of the glucose acquires the
phosphate group.

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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Step 2: Phosphoglucose Isomerase

The second reaction of glycolysis is the rearrangement of glucose 6-

phosphate (G6P) into fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) by glucose phosphate
isomerase (Phosphoglucose Isomerase).

The second step of glycolysis involves the conversion of glucose-6-

phosphate to fructose-6-phosphate (F6P). This reaction occurs with the
help of the enzyme phosphoglucoseisomerase (PI).

The reaction involves the rearrangement of the carbon-oxygen bond to

transform the six-membered ring into a five-membered ring. To
rearrangement takes place when the six-membered ring opens and then
closes in such a way that the first carbon becomes now external to the ring.

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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Step 3: Phosphofructokinase

Phosphofructokinase, with magnesium as a cofactor, changes fructose 6-

phosphate into fructose 1,6-bisphosphate.

In the third step of glycolysis, fructose-6-phosphate is converted to

fructose- 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP). Similar to the reaction that occurs in step
1 of glycolysis, a second molecule of ATP provides the phosphate group
that is added on to the F6P molecule.

The enzyme that catalyzes this reaction is phosphofructokinase (PFK). A

magnesium atom is involved to help shield negative charges.

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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Step 4: Aldolase

The enzyme Aldolase splits fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate into two sugars that
are isomers of each other. These two sugars are Dihydroxyacetone
phosphate (DHAP) and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (GAP).

The enzyme aldolas, which catalyzes the cleavage of FBP to yield two 3-
carbon molecules. One of these molecules is called glyceraldehyde-3-
phosphate (GAP) and the other is called Dihydroxyacetone phosphate
(DHAP).

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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Step 5: Triosephosphate isomerase

The enzyme triosephosphate isomerase rapidly inter- converts the

molecules Dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and glyceraldehyde 3-
phosphate (GAP). Glyceraldehyde phosphate is removed / used in next
step of Glycolysis.

GAP is the only molecule that continues in the glycolytic pathway. As a

result, all of the DHAP molecules produced are further acted on by the
enzyme Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM), which reorganizes the DHAP
into GAP so it can continue in glycolysis. The glycolytic pathway, we have
two 3-carbon molecules, but have not yet fully converted glucose into
pyruvate.

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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Step 6: Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate Dehydrogenase

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) dehydrogenates

and adds an inorganic phosphate to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate,
producing 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate.

Two main events: 1) glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate is oxidized by the

coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD); 2) the molecule is
phosphorylated by the addition of a free phosphate group. The enzyme that
catalyzes this reaction is glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
(GAPDH).

Step 7: Phosphoglycerate Kinase

Phosphoglycerate Kinase transfers a phosphate group from 1,3-

bisphosphoglycerate to ADP to form ATP and 3-phosphoglycerate.

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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In this step, 1,3 bisphoglycerate is converted to 3-phosphoglycerate by the

enzyme phosphoglycerate Kinase (PGK). This reaction involves the loss of
a phosphate group from the starting material. The phosphate is transferred
to a molecule of ADP that yields our first molecule of ATP. Since we
actually have two molecules of 1,3 bisphoglycerate (because there were
two 3-carbon products from stage 1 of glycolysis), we actually synthesize
two molecules of ATP at this step. With this synthesis of ATP, we have
cancelled the first two molecules of ATP that we used, leaving us with a net
of 0 ATP molecules up to this stage of glycolysis. That an atom of
magnesium is involved to shield the negative charges on the phosphate
groups of the ATP molecule.

Step 8: Phosphoglycerate Mutase

The enzyme phosphoglycero mutase relocates the P from 3-

phosphoglycerate from the 3rd carbon to the 2nd carbon to form 2-
phosphoglycerate.

This step involves a simple rearrangement of the position of the phosphate

group on the 3 phosphoglycerate molecule, making it 2 phosphoglycerate.
The molecule responsible for catalyzing this reaction is called

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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phosphoglycerate mutase (PGM). A mutase is an enzyme that catalyzes

the transfer of a functional group from one position on a molecule to
another.

The reaction mechanism proceeds by first adding an additional phosphate

group to the 2′ position of the 3 phosphoglycerate. The enzyme then
removes the phosphate from the 3′ position leaving just the 2′ phosphate,
and thus yielding 2 phsophoglycerate. In this way, the enzyme is also
restored to its original, phosphorylated state.

Step 9: Enolase

The enzyme enolase removes a molecule of water from 2-

phosphoglycerate to form phosphoenolpyruvic acid (PEP).

This step involves the conversion of 2 phosphoglycerate to

phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP). The reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme
enolase. Enolase works by removing a water group, or dehydrating the 2
phosphoglycerate. The specificity of the enzyme pocket allows for the
reaction to occur through a series of steps too complicated to cover here.

Step 10: Pyruvate Kinase

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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The enzyme pyruvate Kinase transfers a P from phosphoenolpyruvate

(PEP) to ADP to form pyruvic acid and ATP Result in step 10.

The final step of glycolysis converts phosphoenolpyruvate into pyruvate

with the help of the enzyme pyruvate Kinase. As the enzyme’s name
suggests, this reaction involves the transfer of a phosphate group. The
phosphate group attached to the 2′ carbon of the PEP is transferred to a
molecule of ADP, yielding ATP. Again, since there are two molecules of
PEP, here we actually generate 2 ATP molecules.

Steps 1 and 3 = – 2ATP

Steps 7 and 10 = + 4 ATP
Net ―visible‖ ATP produced = 2.
Immediately upon finishing glycolysis, the cell must continue respiration in
either an aerobic or anaerobic direction; this choice is made based on the
circumstances of the particular cell. A cell that can perform aerobic
respiration and which finds itself in the presence of oxygen will continue on
to the aerobic citric acid cycle in the mitochondria. If a cell able to perform
aerobic respiration is in a situation where there is no oxygen (such as
muscles under extreme exertion), it will move into a type of anaerobic
respiration called homolactic fermentation. Some cells such as yeast are

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur

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unable to carry out aerobic respiration and will automatically move into a
type of anaerobic respiration called alcoholic fermentation.

Dr.Kumari Sushma Saroj, Dept. of Zoology, Dr.L.K.V.D college, Tajpur, Samastipur