Question

What is the role of NAD+ in glycolysis?

a) It releases energy during glycolysis
b) It captures high-energy electrons during glycolysis
c) It produces glucose in the absence of oxygen
d) It breaks down pyruvic acid into carbon dioxide

Answer 1

NAD+ captures high-energy electrons during glycolysis.

Step-by-step explanation:

Glycolysis is the metabolic pathway that converts one molecule of glucose into two molecules of pyruvate, with the generation of a small amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). This process occurs in the cytoplasm of cells and is the first stage of cellular respiration.

NAD+ plays an important role in glycolysis by capturing high-energy electrons. During the energy-yielding phase of glycolysis, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase converts glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate into 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate, releasing an electron that is picked up by NAD+ to form NADH. NADH is a high-energy molecule that can be used later to produce ATP.