The need to produce ATP to provide energy for cellular function is, of course, essential in both quiescent and activated cells. Glucose can be used to fuel this process through two integrated pathways. The first of these, glycolysis, involves the conversion of glucose to pyruvate in the cytoplasm. In this pathway, phosphates are transferred from glycolytic intermediates to ADP for the generation of ATP. The second pathway, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, generates the reducing equivalents nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FADH2), which donate electrons to the electron transport chain to fuel oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), the process by which ATP is generated in the mitochondria. Glycolysis and the TCA cycle can be integrated when pyruvate is converted into acetyl-CoA, which enters the TCA cycle. Under hypoxic conditions, cells can produce ATP solely by the breakdown of glucose via glycolysis, pyruvate being diverted primarily toward lactate rather than acetyl-CoA. In some cases, cells preferentially use glycolysis for ATP generation, even when oxygen isn’t limiting—a process known as aerobic glycolysis or Warburg metabolism. …show more content…
An example of this axiom is provided by neutrophils—short-lived granulocytes whose primary function is to enter sites of infection and initiate microbial killing rapidly. Neutrophils are highly dependent on glucose for ATP production via aerobic glycolysis. Dendritic