<P> Glycolysis is a metabolic pathway that takes place in the cytosol of cells in all living organisms . This pathway can function with or without the presence of oxygen . In humans , aerobic conditions produce pyruvate and anaerobic conditions produce lactate . In aerobic conditions , the process converts one molecule of glucose into two molecules of pyruvate ( pyruvic acid ) , generating energy in the form of two net molecules of ATP . Four molecules of ATP per glucose are actually produced , however , two are consumed as part of the preparatory phase . The initial phosphorylation of glucose is required to increase the reactivity ( decrease its stability ) in order for the molecule to be cleaved into two pyruvate molecules by the enzyme aldolase . During the pay - off phase of glycolysis , four phosphate groups are transferred to ADP by substrate - level phosphorylation to make four ATP , and two NADH are produced when the pyruvate are oxidized . The overall reaction can be expressed this way : </P>
<P> Glycolysis is a metabolic pathway that takes place in the cytosol of cells in all living organisms . This pathway can function with or without the presence of oxygen . In humans , aerobic conditions produce pyruvate and anaerobic conditions produce lactate . In aerobic conditions , the process converts one molecule of glucose into two molecules of pyruvate ( pyruvic acid ) , generating energy in the form of two net molecules of ATP . Four molecules of ATP per glucose are actually produced , however , two are consumed as part of the preparatory phase . The initial phosphorylation of glucose is required to increase the reactivity ( decrease its stability ) in order for the molecule to be cleaved into two pyruvate molecules by the enzyme aldolase . During the pay - off phase of glycolysis , four phosphate groups are transferred to ADP by substrate - level phosphorylation to make four ATP , and two NADH are produced when the pyruvate are oxidized . The overall reaction can be expressed this way : </P>
where does atp production occur in a cell
where does atp production occur in a cell
cytosol
cytosol