Glucose is the starting molecule and the primary fuel for the glycolysis pathway. Its role is to be broken down in a series of enzymatic reactions to ultimately yield energy (ATP) and pyruvate.
Mechanism of action
Glycolysis begins with the uptake of glucose by the cell.
The very first step is the phosphorylation of glucose. This is where an ATP molecule is used to attach a phosphate group to glucose, forming glucose-6-phosphate. This phosphorylation serves two crucial purposes:
- Activation of Glucose: It makes glucose more reactive and prepares it for subsequent steps in the pathway.
- Trapping Glucose: The addition of the phosphate group gives glucose a negative charge, preventing it from diffusing out of the cell.
The initial phosphorylation of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate is a highly regulated step. It essentially commits the glucose molecule to the glycolysis pathway. From this point forward, the rest of the glycolysis pathway involves a carefully orchestrated series of transformations that ultimately extract energy from the modified glucose molecule in the form of ATP and reducing power (NADH).
We offer a glucose assay kits for measuring glucose concentration in samples such as plasma, serum, cell lysates, and urine. Our kits provide a simple, reproducible, and sensitive tool for glucose detection.