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What is the net energy yield in terms of ATP molecules produced during the conversion of glucose to pyruvate in glycolysis? Explain your answer with the detailed steps involved in this metabolic process.

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The net energy yield during the conversion of glucose to pyruvate in glycolysis is 2 ATP molecules per glucose molecule. Glycolysis is a series of 10 enzyme-catalyzed reactions that occur in the cytoplasm of the cell. The process can be divided into two main phases: the energy investment phase and the energy generation phase.Here are the detailed steps involved in glycolysis:Energy Investment Phase:1. Hexokinase: Glucose is phosphorylated by hexokinase, using one ATP molecule to form glucose-6-phosphate. This step consumes one ATP molecule.2. Phosphoglucose isomerase: Glucose-6-phosphate is converted to fructose-6-phosphate.3. Phosphofructokinase: Fructose-6-phosphate is phosphorylated by phosphofructokinase, using another ATP molecule to form fructose-1,6-bisphosphate. This step consumes one more ATP molecule.4. Aldolase: Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate is cleaved into two three-carbon molecules, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate  G3P  and dihydroxyacetone phosphate  DHAP .5. Triose phosphate isomerase: DHAP is converted to G3P, resulting in two G3P molecules.Energy Generation Phase:6. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: Each G3P molecule is oxidized and phosphorylated to form 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate  1,3-BPG . This step generates two NADH molecules  one per G3P .7. Phosphoglycerate kinase: Each 1,3-BPG molecule transfers a phosphate group to ADP, forming ATP and 3-phosphoglycerate. This step generates two ATP molecules  one per 1,3-BPG .8. Phosphoglycerate mutase: Each 3-phosphoglycerate molecule is converted to 2-phosphoglycerate.9. Enolase: Each 2-phosphoglycerate molecule is dehydrated to form phosphoenolpyruvate  PEP .10. Pyruvate kinase: Each PEP molecule transfers a phosphate group to ADP, forming ATP and pyruvate. This step generates two more ATP molecules  one per PEP .In summary, the energy investment phase consumes 2 ATP molecules, while the energy generation phase produces 4 ATP molecules. Therefore, the net energy yield of glycolysis is 2 ATP molecules per glucose molecule  4 produced - 2 consumed . Additionally, 2 NADH molecules are generated during the process, which can be further used in the electron transport chain to produce more ATP.
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