Does Mitochondria Use Glucose? 7 Facts You Should Know

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Mitochondria transfer energy from one metabolic pathway or reaction to another. Let us explore if mitochondria use glucose or not.

Mitochondira use glucose because they are completely dependent on the cell that they live in, to take the food that organisms receive and turn it in to energy. It also plays a very important role to metabolise glucose in order to make ATP from different sources.

Mitochondria undergo three main processes for complete metabolism of glucose and it cannot survive without cell.

When do mitochondria use glucose?

Mitochondria do some extracellular process through which they release and store very high-energy chemical compounds known as ATP. Let us see when mitochondria use glucose.

Mitochondria start to use glucose during energy requirements and an energy-releasing phase where glucose is attached to 2 phosphate groups and rearranges itself. A total of 3 carbon pyruvate is formed due to the conversion of 3 carbon sugar. It also starts to utilize energy in the form of ATP.

Mitochondria not only releases ATP in the presence of oxygen, it also breaks down some food and release carbon dioxide, water, and some waste products.

How do mitochondria use glucose?

Mitochondria utilize glucose via the process of glycolysis, cellular respiration, cellular differentiation, and degeneration. Let us learn this in detail.

Listed below are the steps which shows how mitochondria uses glucose:

  • During the process of glycolysis, glucose oxidation starts and forms 2 pyruvate molecules.
  •  During the energy requirement, glucose is attached to two phosphate groups and rearranges itself.
  • ATP will be utilized in this case.
  • In the energy-releasing phase, 3 carbon of pyruvate is formed due to the conversion of 3 carbon sugar.
  • The pyruvate will be transported and engaged in oxidative decarboxylation and produces acetyl CoA.
  • For the complete oxidation of glucose, the acetyl CoA enters in TCA cycle and converts into H2O and CO2.
  •  In this way, mitochondria use glucose and help in the process of cellular respiration.
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Cellular respiration from Wikipedia

What does mitochondria do with glucose?

Mitochondria do a total of 10 reactions via glycolysis called an energy-releasing or energy-requiring process. Let us discuss this in detail.

Mitochondria uses glucose for the following purposes:

  • Mitochondria do several processes such as cellular differentiation and degeneration as well as cellular respiration with the help of glucose.
  • Mitochondria take help from an enzyme such as pyruvate dehydrogenase and acetyl coenzyme A for the conversion of pyruvate from glucose to acetyl co A via the process of glycolysis.
  • The enzymes responsible for the conversion of pyruvate and acetyl co A are pyruvate dehydrogenase and acetyl coenzyme A.
  • It also does some oxidation-reduction reactions with acetyl co A to form NADH and FADH via the help of NAD+ and FAD.

Whatever we eat or consume, mitochondria take glucose from it and do several steps in the matrix of mitochondria like conversion of glucose into pyruvate and then into acetyl CoA.

Can glucose enter mitochondria?

Mitochondria do aerobic metabolism where most of the glucose is oxidized into ATP molecules, CO2 and water. Let us see if glucose can enter mitochondria.

Glucose cannot enter mitochondria or react with oxygen there. Glucose is broken down first into pyruvate outside. Only then can it enter mitochondria where pyruvate breaks down further by the series of enzymes.

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ATP synthesis in mitochondria from Wikipedia

The transport of glucose across the membrane requires a protein transporter because mitochondria do not have protein in their membrane.

Do mitochondria make glucose?

Mitochondria perform the activity of cellular respiration where they release some free energy during the glucose breakdown. Let us discuss if mitochondria make glucose or not.

Mitochondria do not make glucose directly. They first convert it into pyruvate. The oxaloacetate from the TCA cycle in mitochondria can be converted back to glucose. Most of this occurs in the process termed gluconeogenesis in the liver cells.

Is glucose stored in mitochondria?

Mitochondria plays a crucial role in the release of ATP and use them as a power source for all kinds of endergonic reactions. Let us see if glucose is stored in mitochondria.

Mitochondria do not store glucose but they need pyruvate for the production of ATP. Glucose changes to pyruvate in the cytoplasm of cell through glycolysis. Mitochondria only stores energy from glucose in the form of ATP.

Conclusion

From the above article, it can be concluded that mitochondria is an important factor in aerobic respiration and it involves in a sequence of reactions that ultimately lead to energy formation.

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