CoenzymesMost of the biochemical pathways in living things are enhanced by the control proteins called enzymes. The efficiency of the enzyme-catalyzed reactions is often increased by the presence of helper molecules called coenzymes. A coenzyme present in every living cell is NAD+. It participates in electron transport reactions in cell metabolism processes like glycolysis. Another essential coenzyme is FAD which also contributes to the electron transport process. Much of the energy from the TCA cycle in aerobic respiration is used to reduce the coenzymes, thereby giving their electrons higher energy for the electron transport reactions. The reduced coenzyme NADPH plays a key role in the Calvin cycle for the production of carbohydrates in photosynthetic organisms.
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Reduced Coenzymes as Energy Storage ElementsMost of the biochemical pathways in living things are enhanced by the control proteins called enzymes. The efficiency of the enzyme-catalyzed reactions is often increased by the presence of helper molecules called coenzymes. A coenzyme present in every living cell is NAD+. It participates in electron transport reactions in cell metabolism processes like glycolysis. Another essential coenzyme is FAD which also contributes to the electron transport process. Much of the energy from the TCA cycle in aerobic respiration is used to reduce the coenzyme NAD+ to NADH, which is used to give electrons higher energy for the electron transport reactions. In photosynthetic organisms, the light energy drives the electron transport chain of chloroplasts. Much of the energy is used to reduce the coenzyme NADP+ to form NADPH, thereby raising it to a higher energy state. The energy of NADPH is then used in the Calvin cycle as a part of the process of carbohydrate synthesis.
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