The Link Reaction and Krebs Cycle: Acetyl-CoA Oxidation and Electron Carrier Production
Students will explore the process of mitosis, understanding how somatic cells divide to produce two genetically identical daughter cells for growth and repair.
About This Topic
Students will explore the process of mitosis, understanding how somatic cells divide to produce two genetically identical daughter cells for growth and repair.
Key Questions
- Explain the reactions of the link reaction and trace the entry of acetyl-CoA into the Krebs cycle, accounting for all carbon atoms lost as CO₂ and all electron carriers, NADH and FADH₂, produced per molecule of glucose.
- Analyse why the Krebs cycle is a cyclic rather than a linear pathway, explaining the regeneration of oxaloacetate and the role of citrate synthase as a regulated entry point whose inhibition prevents excessive cycle activity.
- Evaluate the total energy conserved in reduced electron carriers from the link reaction and Krebs cycle and justify why the majority of ATP synthesis from glucose aerobic oxidation depends on subsequent oxidative phosphorylation rather than substrate-level phosphorylation.
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