Cellular Respiration Essay

590 Words2 Pages

Introduction
All living organisms require energy. In order to obtain energy, cells within the organisms must go through the processes of cellular respiration and/or fermentation. The way in which “oxidation of glucose leads to ATP production” is emphasized in cellular respiration (Freeman et al., 2014).
Three steps can explain cellular respiration: glycolysis, the TCA cycle (or citric acid cycle or Krebs cycle), and oxidative phosphorylation. Glycolysis is divided into two different stages: energy investment and energy payoff. During glycolysis, “ATP is both required and released at different stages” (Jordan & North 2013). The result is a net gain of two ATP, two NADH, and the production of two pyruvates. This process takes place in the cytoplasm. The pyruvates then go through the plasma membrane and into the mitochondrial matrix. During this pyruvate processing, NADH and CO2 are released and the pyruvates are converted into acetyl CoA. The acetyl CoA then goes through the TCA cycle, producing ATP, NADH, FADH2, and CO2. Finally, NADH and FADH2 go through the electron transport cha...

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