Magnesium’s Role in Glycolysis

In which reactions of glycolysis is magnesium involved?

Magnesium (Mg) is involved in two reactions of glycolysis: the conversion of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate and the conversion of fructose-6-phosphate to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate.

1. Conversion of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate:
During this step, glucose is phosphorylated by ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to form glucose-6-phosphate. This reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme hexokinase. Magnesium ions (Mg2+) act as cofactors for hexokinase, helping to stabilize the enzyme-substrate complex and facilitate the transfer of the phosphate group from ATP to glucose

The reaction can be represented as follows:
Glucose + ATP –> Glucose-6-phosphate + ADP

2. Conversion of fructose-6-phosphate to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate:
After glucose-6-phosphate is formed, it undergoes further transformations. One of these transformations is the conversion of fructose-6-phosphate to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate. This reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1). Magnesium ions (Mg2+) are essential cofactors for PFK-1, facilitating the transfer of a phosphate group from ATP to fructose-6-phosphate

The reaction can be represented as follows:
Fructose-6-phosphate + ATP –> Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate + ADP

Overall, magnesium’s role in glycolysis is primarily as a cofactor for the enzymes hexokinase and PFK-1, which are involved in the initial steps of glucose metabolism. Without magnesium, these reactions would proceed at a much slower rate, affecting the efficiency of glycolysis

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