Loading subject…
The Link Reaction Connects Glycolysis to the Krebs Cycle
- Glycolysis in the cytoplasm breaks glucose down into pyruvate (3C).
- The Krebs cycle in the mitochondrial matrix needs acetyl groups (2C).
- There is a carbon mismatch, because pyruvate has 3 carbons but the Krebs cycle uses 2-carbon acetyl groups.
- The link reaction bridges this gap in the mitochondrial matrix by converting pyruvate (3C) into a 2-carbon acetyl group.
- The acetyl group then joins coenzyme A to form acetyl-CoA.
Analogy
- The link reaction is a bridge between two locations: glycolysis in the cytoplasm and the Krebs cycle in the mitochondrial matrix.
- Without this bridge, the energy stored in pyruvate could not reach the Krebs cycle.
