Glyoxylate cycle

The Glyoxylate cycle (pronunciation: gly-ox-y-late cycle) is a metabolic pathway that occurs in many bacteria, plants, and some fungi. It is a variation of the Citric acid cycle or Krebs cycle, which is found in all aerobic organisms.

Etymology

The term "Glyoxylate cycle" is derived from the compound "Glyoxylate", which is an intermediate in this cycle. "Glyoxylate" itself is derived from the Greek words "glykys" meaning "sweet" and "oxys" meaning "sharp", referring to the compound's acidic properties.

Process

The Glyoxylate cycle begins with the condensation of acetyl-CoA with oxaloacetate to form citrate, catalyzed by the enzyme citrate synthase. This is followed by the conversion of citrate to isocitrate, catalyzed by aconitase. Isocitrate is then cleaved by the enzyme isocitrate lyase into succinate and glyoxylate. The glyoxylate is condensed with another molecule of acetyl-CoA by malate synthase to form malate. Malate is then converted back to oxaloacetate by malate dehydrogenase, completing the cycle.

Significance

The Glyoxylate cycle is significant because it allows organisms to convert fatty acids (in the form of acetyl-CoA) into carbohydrates. This is particularly important for plants and bacteria, which often rely on fatty acids as a source of energy.

Related Terms

External links

Medical encyclopedia article on Glyoxylate cycle
Wikipedia's article - Glyoxylate cycle

This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.

Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski

Glyoxylate cycle