Question

For every glycerol that enters glycolysis, how many molecules of pyruvate are produced?

a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4

Answer 1

For every glycerol that enters glycolysis, two molecules of pyruvate are produced.

Step-by-step explanation:

When glycerol enters glycolysis, it is first converted into an intermediate that can enter the glycolytic pathway. Glycerol is phosphorylated to glycerol-3-phosphate, which is then oxidized and transformed into dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP). DHAP is an intermediate in glycolysis and can be readily converted into glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, another glycolysis intermediate. Since one molecule of glycerol results in one intermediary that feeds into the glycolysis pathway, it can ultimately yield two molecules of pyruvate because it merges with the glycolytic pathway at a point where the end product of one glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate is one molecule of pyruvate, and glycerol-3-phosphate leads to the formation of one glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is 'b. 2'.