Some people trying to lose weight have gone on the "Atkins diet," in which they eat mostly high-protein, low-carbohydrate foods such as meat, cheese, and eggs. The amino acids in these protein-rich diets, such as alanine, glycine, and serine, can be converted to pyruvate by deamination (removal of the amino group). Based on this scenario as well as your knowledge of cellular respiration, how many ATP, NADH, and FADH2 molecules will be generated from one molecule of alanine during the mitochondrial matrix reactions?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

During the mitochondrial matrix reactions, pyruvate from alanine undergoes the TCA cycle. One molecule of alanine produces one molecule of pyruvate, which can generate one ATP, four NADH, and one FADH2. However, since the question only asks for the reactions in the mitochondrial matrix (excluding glycolysis and the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA), only one ATP is generated, along with four NADH and one FADH2.

Some People Trying to Lose Weight Have Gone on the "Atkins