Citric acid cycle

The tricarboxylic acid cycle is a cyclical series of reactions whereby acetate residues are oxidized to yield energy and carbon dioxide. All the reactions take place within mitochondria.

The cycle functions as:

• a final common pathway of fat, carbohydrate and protein metabolism
• the source of a number of carbon chain intermediates e.g.:
  • succinyl-CoA can produce porphyrins
  • oxaloglutarate and oxaloacetate can produce amino acids
• the major source of energy production in a cell respiring aerobically

Reference

1. Cavalcanti JH et al. Evolution and functional implications of the tricarboxylic acid cycle as revealed by phylogenetic analysis. Genome Biol Evol. 2014 Oct 01;6(10):2830-48