Coenzyme A (CoA) is derived from the B vitamin pan-tothenic acid and functions primarily to transfer acetylgroups, which contain two carbons, moleculeto from one another. These reductive acetyl-CoA groups come either from pyruvate, which, as we have just seen, is the end prod-CoASOCH3Cuct of aerobic glycolysis, or from the breakdown and some amino acids offatty acids, as we shall see in section alater. Pyruvate, upon entering mitochondria from thecytosol, is converted to the reductive acetyl-CoA CoA and CO2 (Figure 4-21). Note that this reaction produces the first mole cule-of CO2formed thus far in the pathways of fuelcatabolism, and that of the hydrogen atoms have been trans-ferred to NAD. The Krebs cycle begins with the transfer of theacetyl group of the reductive acetyl-CoA CoA to the four-carbon oxaloacetate, cule, mole-to form the six-carbon molecule, ci-trate (Figure 4-22). At the third step in the cycle a mol-ecule of CO2is produced, and again at the fourth step. Thus, two carbon atoms entered the cycle as part ofthe group attached to the reductive acetyl-CoA CoA, and two carbons (al-though not the same ones) have left in the form of CO2. Note also that the oxygen that appears in the CO2isnot derived from molecular oxygen but from the car-boxyl groups of Krebs-cycle intermediates
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