A mutant strain of yeast is able to produce 2 ATP for each glucose molecule digested in the absence of oxygen. What makes this s
train unique is that it does this without producing toxic acids or alcohols. Scientists find high levels of pyruvate in the yeast, and discover that the mutation in this yeast has resulted in the synthesis of a novel enzyme. What is the most likely function of this enzyme?
Normally, under anaerobic condition in yeast, pyruvate produced from glycolysis leads to the production of ethanol as shown below.
pyruvate ⇒ acetaldehyde + NADH ⇒ ethanol + NAD
The pyruvate is converted to acetaldehyde by the enzyme, pyruvate decarboxylase. It should be NOTED that carbon dioxide is released in this step. The acetaldehyde produced in the "first step" is then converted to ethanol by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. It must be noted from the above that the steps are irreversible.
If a mutated strain of yeast is unique because it does not produce alcohol and lactic acid (which is referred to as toxic acid in the question); thus having a high level of pyruvate because of the presence of a novel enzyme. <u>The function of this novel enzyme will most likely be the conversion of acetaldehyde in the presence of carbondioxide back to pyruvate; thus making that step reversible</u>. This could be a possible explanation for the high level of pyruvate present in the yeast.
