WANI Dictionary

Glycolysis

Glycolysis is the enzymatic pathway that breaks bown a glucose to two pyruvates, producing a net yield of two ATP and two NADH. Important features of glycolysis include:

• Glycolysis is present in cytoplasm.
• Glycolysis is a prevalent metabolic pathway found in all three domains of life (bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes).
• Glycolysis does not require oxygen, indicating that its origin is ancient.
• Glycolysis is devided into three phases: investment, cleavage, and harvesting.
• Two ATP molecules are used per one glucose in the investment phase. Four ATP molecules and two NADH molecules can be obtained from one glucose in the harvesting phase. The net yield is thus two ATP and two NADH per glucose.

Definitions in the literature

• reactions, carried out in the cytoplasm, that break down glucose to two molecules of pyruvic acid, producing two ATP molecules; does not require oxyge but can proceed when oxygen is present [1].
• Set of reactions in which glucose is broken down to two pyruvate for a net yield of two ATP. Part of furmentation and aerobic respiration [2].
• The enzymatic pathway that converts a glucose molecule into two molecules of pyruvate; this anaerobic process generates a net energy yield of two molecules of ATP and two molecules of NADH [3].