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Anaerobic Respiration definitions

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  • Anaerobic Respiration
    Energy-generating process occurring without oxygen, resulting in less ATP production compared to aerobic pathways.
  • Electron Transport Chain
    Series of protein complexes in mitochondria responsible for transferring electrons to generate ATP in the presence of oxygen.
  • Fermentation
    Cytosolic process that regenerates NAD+ from NADH, enabling glycolysis to continue in the absence of oxygen.
  • Glycolysis
    Initial metabolic pathway breaking down glucose into pyruvate, yielding ATP and NADH in the cytosol.
  • Pyruvate
    Three-carbon molecule produced from glycolysis, serving as a key intermediate in both aerobic and anaerobic pathways.
  • Lactate Fermentation
    Pathway in animal muscle cells where pyruvate is reduced to lactate, allowing continued ATP production during low oxygen.
  • Alcohol Fermentation
    Two-step process in yeast and bacteria converting pyruvate to ethanol and carbon dioxide, regenerating NAD+.
  • NAD+
    Electron carrier molecule regenerated during fermentation, essential for sustaining glycolysis under anaerobic conditions.
  • NADH
    Reduced electron carrier formed during glycolysis, later oxidized to regenerate NAD+ in fermentation.
  • Lactate Dehydrogenase
    Enzyme catalyzing the reversible reduction of pyruvate to lactate, facilitating NADH oxidation.
  • Alcohol Dehydrogenase
    Enzyme responsible for reducing an aldehyde intermediate to ethanol during alcohol fermentation.
  • Pyruvate Decarboxylase
    Enzyme catalyzing the removal of carbon dioxide from pyruvate, forming an aldehyde in alcohol fermentation.
  • Acetyl CoA Formation
    Aerobic process converting pyruvate for entry into the citric acid cycle, bypassed during anaerobic respiration.
  • Cytosol
    Cellular compartment where glycolysis and fermentation occur, especially under anaerobic conditions.
  • Mitochondrial Matrix
    Site of aerobic pyruvate metabolism, inaccessible to pyruvate during anaerobic respiration.