The citric acid cycle (TCA: Trucarvixylic cycle)

14 important questions on The citric acid cycle (TCA: Trucarvixylic cycle)

What is pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH)?

  • Links glycolysis to the TCA cycle via pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
  • reaction is irreversible (regulation)
  • converts pyruvate to acetyl-CoA (oxidative decarboxylation, CO2 out!)
  • Most important point since it is the entry of substrates into the TCA cycle

Where/When does the citric acid cycle/TCA happen?

  • Mitochondira
  • it is the final pathway of oxidation of fuels (carbohydrate, fatty acids, amino acids) which release stored energy

What is the overal reaction input/output?

input
  • 1 Acetyl-CoA (C2)

output
  • 3 NADH
  • 1 FADH2
  • 1 GTP
  • (2 CO2)
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What is the pathway to get ATP?

  1. Glycolysis (aerobic), TCA cycle, beta-oxidation (fatty acids)
    • Resulting in reduced co-enzymes (NADH, FADH2)
  2. Respiratory chain, ATP synthase (oxidative phosphorylation)
    • uses O2

What is TCA cycle?

  • Coupling to respiration
  • is a series of oxidation/reductions
    • oxidation of 1 Acetyl group (C2) to 2x CO2
    • Harvesting "high-energy" electrons
      • Which are used for ATP synthesis

Explain the anaerobic glycolysis, how is the TCA cycle involved in it?

No TCA involvement, no O2 used!
  • Coupling to Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) where pyruvate is converted to lactate, where NAD+ produced by it is used to form ATP

Where in the TCA cycle does the condensation and the 2 oxidative decarboxylation take place?

Condensation
  • Acety-CoA to citrate citrate synthase

Oxidative decarboxylation (CO2 out!)
  • Isocitrate to alfa-ketoglutarate Isocitrate dehydrogenase
  • alfa-ketoglutarate to succinyl-CoA alfa-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex

What are the control points in TCA?

  • Pyruvat dehydrogenase
    • inhibition: ATP, acetyl CoA, NADH
    • activation: ADP, pyruvate
  • Isocitrate dehydrogenase
    • inhibition: ATP, NADH
    • Activation: ADP
  • alfa-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase
    • inhibition: ATP, succinyl CoA, NADH

What an anapleurotic reaction?

Anapleurotic reaction
  • When one of the TCA cycle intermediates is added into the cycle that have been extracted from biosynthesis (E, in exemple)
  • Pyruvate carboxylase could carboxylate pyruvate to oxaloacetate, giving the cycle more C4 compounds to condense with incoming C2 compounds

What is an catapleurotic reaction?

  • When you use/steal C4 intermediates from the TCA for biosynthesis
  • Aspartate biosynthesis also requires oxaloacetate, so when aspartate is synthesized the result is less net oxaloacetate. So when a catapleurotic reaction occur, there is less oxaloacetate to condens with acetyl CoA
  • when there is not enough oxaloacetate, anapleurotic or filling-up reations are necessary

Which are the glucogenic amino acids forming oxaloacetate?

Asparagine -> Asparate -> oxaloacetate

Which are the glucogenic amino acids forming Pyruvate?

  • Alanine
  • Cysteine
  • Glycine
  • Serine
  • Threonine
  • Tryptophan

Which are the glucogenic amino acids forming alfa-ketoglutarate?

Glutamate which is formed by
  • Arginine
  • Glutamine
  • Histidine
  • Proline

Which are the glucogenic amino acids forming Succinyl CoA?

  • Isoleucine
  • Methionine
  • Threonine
  • Valine

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