Glucose-lactate cycle

The processes are called futile, because energy is lost. The lactate-glucose cycle costs some 10% of glucose energy, and lipogenesis costs some 25%. The futility is, however, questionable as previously mentioned. The processes only occur in situ-... 

The metabolic pathway for bacterial sugar fermentation proceeds through the Embden-Meyerhof-Paranas (EMP) pathway. The pathway involves many catalysed enzyme reactions which start with glucose, a six-carbon carbohydrate, and end with two moles of three carbon intermediates, pyruvate. The end pyruvate may go to lactate or be converted to acetyl CoA for the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The fermentation pathways from pyruvate and the resulting end products are shown in Figures 9.7 and 9.8. 

Glucose is metabolized to pyruvate by the pathway of glycolysis, which can occur anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen), when the end product is lactate. Aerobic tissues metabolize pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, which can enter the citric acid cycle for complete oxidation to CO2 and HjO, linked to the formation of ATP in the process of oxidative phosphorylation (Figure 16-2). Glucose is the major fuel of most tissues. 

Heart Pumping of blood Aerobic pathways, eg, P-oxidation and citric acid cycle Free fatty acids, lactate, ketone bodies, VLDL and chylomicron triacylglycerol, some glucose Lipoprotein lipase. Respiratory chain well developed. 

Erythrocytes Transport of O2 1 Glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway. No mitochondria and therefore no p-oxidation or citric acid cycle. Glucose Lactate 1 (Hemoglobin) ... 

Lactate produced by anaerobic metabolism in skeletal muscle passes to liver, which uses it to synthesize glucose, which can then return to muscle (the Cori cycle). 

Each mole of glucose that goes through the Cori cycle costs the liver 6 ATP equivalents. If the Cori cycle were perfect and there were an endless supply of ATP, liver could supply glucose equivalents forever just using the same carbon atoms (6 in as lactate, 6 out as glucose). However, some of the lactate (pyruvate) in the nonliver tissues is burned to C02 by the TCA cycle in die muscle and other tissues. It s this pool that must be replaced by fresh glucose from liver. 

Key PEP-CK = PEP carboxykinase this enzyme begins the re-cycling of carbon atoms derived from amino acids (via pyruvate, 2-OG or OAA) or lactate (via pyruvate) to glucose (gluconeogenesis). 

Figure 6.1 Pathways involved in glucose oxidation by plant cells (a) glycolysis, (b) Krebs cycle, (c) mitochondrial cytochrome chain. Under anoxic conditions. Reactions 1, 2 and 3 of glycolysis are catalysed by lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase, respectively. ATP and ADP, adenosine tri- and diphosphate NAD and NADHa, oxidized and reduced forms of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide PGA, phosphoglyceraldehyde PEP, phosphoenolpyruvate Acetyl-CoA, acetyl coenzyme A FP, flavoprotein cyt, cytochrome e, electron. (Modified from Fitter and Hay, 2002). Reprinted with permission from Elsevier...

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