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How is glycolysis regulated?

(edited 7 years ago)

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Reply 2

Larynx.pharynx

There might be other control mechanisms, but the rate of glycolysis can be regulated by controlling the amount of glucose available inside cells. Insulin promotes the movement of glucose transporters to the surface of cells, and so increases the amount of glucose inside the cell, and the rate of glycolysis.

Reply 3

Llewellyn

Strictly speaking, the main regulatory steps in the metabolic process are glucose>glucose6phosphate, fructose6phosphate>fructose16bisphosphate and PEP>pyruvate. The regulation of the enzymes in these steps is complicated, but the basic process is feedback inhibition. So a lot of glucose6phosphate will inhibit the reaction glucose>glucose6phosphate. This essentially ensures that glycolysis will only run when its products are being removed (which is linked to producing energy) - so you only "produce" energy when you need it.

All the steps above are associated with a large free energy drop because the potential energy gradient is easier to maintain.

I suspect the question might be about the availability of glucose (which is obviously required for glycolysis), in which case the correct answer would be related to insulin and glycogen.