Final answer:
The first step of glycolysis uses one ATP molecule to phosphorylate glucose, a process necessary for the breakdown of glucose to produce energy in the form of ATP and NADH in cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first step of glycolysis uses one ATP molecule to phosphorylate glucose. This is a critical step where ATP is invested to add a phosphate group to glucose, transforming it into glucose-6-phosphate under the action of the enzyme hexokinase. This reaction is essential for the subsequent steps in glycolysis where the glucose molecule is further processed to extract energy for the cell, eventually resulting in the production of ATP and reducing equivalents (NADH).
Glycolysis is a central metabolic pathway that takes place in the cytoplasm of cells and does not require oxygen, thus it is anaerobic. All living cells perform glycolysis as a way to generate ATP from glucose, which is utilized in various cellular processes.