Question

In the cleavage reactions of glycolysis, a 6-carbon diphosphate sugar is split into which of the following?

A) One 6-carbon monophosphate sugar.
B) Two 2-carbon monophosphate sugars.
C) Two 3-carbon monophosphate sugars.
D) One 3-carbon monophosphate sugar.

Answer 1

During the cleavage reactions of glycolysis, a 6-carbon diphosphate sugar, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, is split into two 3-carbon monophosphate sugars, which are both glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate

(
`G3P`).

Step-by-step explanation:

In the cleavage reactions of glycolysis, a 6-carbon diphosphate sugar known as fructose-1,6-bisphosphate is split into two three-carbon molecules. These molecules are glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (
`G3P`) and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP). Subsequently, DHAP is converted into another molecule of
`G3P`, thereby producing two molecules of G3P in total.

This process is part of the first phase of glycolysis, wherein glucose is initially phosphorylated to glucose-6-phosphate, then converted into fructose-6-phosphate, and further phosphorylated by the action of phosphofructokinase to form fructose-1,6-bisphosphate. The enzyme aldolase then facilitates the cleavage of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate into
`G3P` and DHAP, which is eventually isomerized to
`G3P` as well, thus resulting in two
`G3P` molecules. Therefore, the correct answer to the question of what a 6-carbon diphosphate sugar is split into during the cleavage reactions of glycolysis is C) Two 3-carbon monophosphate sugars.