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Read the Three Fates of Pyruvate
Pyruvate links glycolysis to fermentation or mitochondrial oxidation.
NSEJS · Respiration in Plants · 4 linked questions · 100% coverage
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Living-system questions are solved by matching a structure or organism to its function, process and stated condition.
Structure · The part being namedFunction · What that part doesCondition · The situation that changes the answer
Study deeper: NCERT Science · Respiration in Plants
Compare the main routes
Without oxygen, pyruvate may be reduced to lactate or converted to ethanol and CO2. Aerobically, it enters mitochondria and is oxidatively decarboxylated to acetyl-CoA.
Why it is a gateway
Acetyl-CoA enters the TCA cycle, making the link reaction the gateway from glycolysis to aerobic mitochondrial oxidation. Its conversion of pyruvate is the first CO2-releasing step per pyruvate.
OlympIQ exam lens
- ✓Three common fates: aerobic oxidation, lactate, ethanol.
- ✓Link reaction: pyruvate → acetyl-CoA + CO2.
- ✓Photorespiration is not a pyruvate fate.
OlympIQ trap
The link reaction acts on pyruvate, not directly on glucose.
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