Question

The site of glycolysis or EMP is -
(a) Mitochondria
(b) Cytoplasm
(c) ER
(d) Ribosomes

Answer 1

Hint: Glycolysis is a metabolic pathway and is oxygen-independent. EMP is the most common type of glycolysis. Since the reactions are independent of oxygen, they should take place at a site that may or may not contain oxygen.

Complete answer:
Glycolysis is a metabolic pathway and the initial step of cellular respiration. There are various types of this pathway and EMP or Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway is the most common one.
- As glycolysis does not require oxygen, the reactions do not need to occur in a distinguished organelle and take place in the cytoplasm. This is why both aerobic and anaerobic organisms carry out glycolysis as a part of their respiration.

- The pathway is divided into two phases - the preparatory phase where ATP is consumed and the payoff phase where ATP is produced.

Additional Information:
- Mitochondria is the site of the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain where oxygen is required. Mitochondria is also responsible for producing ATP, the source of energy for the cell.
- The endoplasmic reticulum or the ER is the site for the production of lipids and proteins. It is also responsible for the transport of in and out of the cell.
- Ribosomes are organelles that produce proteins from mRNA and amino acids. They are present on rough ER or freely lying in the cytoplasm.
So, the correct answer is ‘Cytoplasm’.

Note:
-The product of glycolysis is pyruvate which is oxidized to acetyl-CoA which then enters the Krebs cycle.
-The other types of glycolysis include the Entner–Doudoroff pathway and hetero- and homofermentative pathways.