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Q.Explain the reactions of Kreb's cycle.

Telangana TsbieTelangana Board of Intermediate Education 2019Subjective· 8mImportance★★★★★
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The Krebs cycle oxidises acetyl-CoA in the mitochondrial matrix: citrate forms from acetyl-CoA + oxaloacetate, then step-by-step oxidations/decarboxylations release 2 CO₂ and regenerate oxaloacetate, yielding 3 NADH, 1 FADH₂ and 1 ATP per acetyl-CoA.

The Krebs cycle (citric acid cycle / TCA cycle), discovered by Hans Krebs, occurs in the mitochondrial matrix. Pyruvate (from glycolysis) is first oxidatively decarboxylated to acetyl-CoA (releasing 1 CO₂ and 1 NADH), which then enters the cycle. This is a key aerobic-respiration topic of the TS Intermediate respiration unit, which follows the NCERT/CBSE curriculum.

Reactions of the cycle (per turn, starting from one acetyl-CoA):

  1. Citrate formation: Acetyl-CoA (2-C) condenses with oxaloacetate (OAA, 4-C) and water, catalysed by citrate synthase, to form citrate (6-C); CoA is released.
  2. Isomerisation: Citrate is converted to its isomer isocitrate (6-C) by aconitase (via cis-aconitate).
  3. First oxidative decarboxylation: Isocitrate is oxidised and decarboxylated by isocitrate dehydrogenase to α-ketoglutarate (5-C), releasing 1 CO₂ and forming 1 NADH.
  4. Second oxidative decarboxylation: α-ketoglutarate is oxidatively decarboxylated by the α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex to succinyl-CoA (4-C), releasing another 1 CO₂ and forming 1 NADH.
  5. Substrate-level phosphorylation: Succinyl-CoA is converted to succinate (4-C) by succinyl-CoA synthetase; the energy released forms 1 ATP (via GTP).
  6. First oxidation of the 4-C acids: Succinate is oxidised to fumarate (4-C) by succinate dehydrogenase, forming 1 FADH₂.
  7. Hydration: Fumarate is hydrated to malate (4-C) by fumarase. …

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