Describe how energy released from ATP is widely used in organisms.

The first 200 words of this essay...

? Describe how energy released from ATP is widely used in

organisms.

Adenosine triphosphate is a high energy phosphate molecule used to store and release energy for

work within the body.

ATP can be produced by various cellular processes: Under aerobic conditions, the majority of the

synthesis occurs in mitochondria during oxidative phosphorylation and is catalyzed by ATP synthase and,

to a lesser degree, under anaerobic conditions by fermentation.

The main fuels for ATP synthesis are glucose and triglycerides. The fuels that result from the breakdown of

triglycerides are glycerol and fatty acids.

First, glucose and glycerol are metabolised to pyruvate in the cytosol using the glycolyitic pathway.

This generates some ATP through substrate phosphorylation catalyzed by two enzymes: PGK and

Pyruvate kinase. Pyruvate is then oxidised further in the mitochondrion.

In the mitochondrion, pyruvate is oxidised by pyruvate dehydrogenase to acetyl-CoA, which is

fully oxidised to carbon dioxide by the Krebs cycle. Fatty acids are also broken down to acetyl CoA by

beta-oxidation and metabolised by the Krebs cycle. Every turn