tricarboxylic acid cycle

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Thân thiện
Definition

Noun: A fundamental metabolic pathway occurring in the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells, where acetyl-CoA derived from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins is oxidized to produce carbon dioxide, chemical energy in the form of ATP, and reducing power in the form of NADH and FADH₂. It is the central hub of aerobic cellular respiration.

Examples of Usage
  • Noun:
    • The tricarboxylic acid cycle is essential for generating energy in aerobic organisms.
    • Key intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle are used in various biosynthetic pathways.
    • Disruption of the tricarboxylic acid cycle can have severe metabolic consequences.
Advanced Usage
  • "to enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle": Refers to the process where a metabolite, typically acetyl-CoA, becomes a substrate for the cycle.
    • Pyruvate is converted to acetyl-CoA before it can enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle.
  • "regulation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle": Describes the biochemical control mechanisms that adjust the cycle's rate.
    • The activity of key enzymes is crucial for the regulation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle.
Variants and Related Words
  • Citric acid cycle (n): A common synonym for the tricarboxylic acid cycle, named after its first intermediate, citrate.
  • Krebs cycle (n): Another widely used synonym, named after the biochemist Hans Krebs who elucidated its steps.
  • TCA cycle (n): A standard abbreviation for "tricarboxylic acid cycle."
Synonyms
  • Citric acid cycle: Emphasizes the first product formed in the cycle.
  • Krebs cycle: Honors the discoverer, Sir Hans Adolf Krebs.
Related Phrases and Concepts
  • Oxidative phosphorylation: The subsequent metabolic process that uses the NADH and FADH₂ produced by the tricarboxylic acid cycle to generate most of the cell's ATP.
  • Acetyl-CoA: The two-carbon molecule that is the primary fuel for the tricarboxylic acid cycle.
  • Anaplerotic reactions: Biochemical reactions that replenish the intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle when they are diverted for biosynthesis.
Noun
  1. in all plants and animals: a series of enzymatic reactions in mitochondria involving oxidative metabolism of acetyl compounds to produce high-energy phosphate compounds that are the source of cellular energy

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