Is glycogenolysis aerobic or anaerobic?
Is glycogenolysis aerobic or anaerobic?
Answered
Glycogenolysis itself is neither strictly aerobic nor anaerobic, as it is a preparatory pathway that provides glucose (or glucose-6-phosphate) for both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. The process of glycogenolysis occurs in the cytoplasm of cells and is independent of the presence or absence of oxygen. However, the fate of the glucose-6-phosphate produced during glycogenolysis depends on the availability of oxygen. In the presence of oxygen (aerobic conditions), glucose-6-phosphate enters the mitochondria and undergoes aerobic glycolysis, which produces ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. In the absence of oxygen (anaerobic conditions), glucose-6-phosphate is processed through anaerobic glycolysis, leading to the production of lactate, with a net gain of 2 ATP molecules. Therefore, while glycogenolysis itself is not defined by oxygen use, the subsequent metabolic pathways it feeds into can be either aerobic or anaerobic.
BNO Team
