WANI Dictionary

Respiratory chain

The respiratory chain is an array of electron carrier molecules and other supporting molecules (i.e., an electron transport chain) embedded in mitochondrial inner membrane (Fig).

Definitions in the literature

• In the mitochondria, NADH or FADH₂, generated by the Krebs cycle, transfer their electrons through a chain of carrier molecules, including ubiquinone and a series of cytochromes, that undergo reversible reduction-oxidation reactions, accepting electrons and then donating them to the next carrier in the chain - a process known as electron flow [1].