Moles ATP produced by complete breakdown of one mole of glycogen under aerobic conditions?

Moles ATP produced by complete breakdown of one mole of glycogen under aerobic conditions?

• A. 18
• B. 36
• C. 72
• D. 24

Answer: (B)

Glycogen breakdown provides glucose units to glycolysis without the initial ATP cost, because glucose-1-phosphate is released and converted to glucose-6-phosphate directly during glycogenolysis. This saves one ATP per glucose unit, boosting the overall ATP yield compared with starting glycolysis from free glucose. When you follow glycolysis with pyruvate oxidation, the citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation in aerobic respiration, the total energy released per mole of glycogen is conventionally taught as about 36 ATP. The other numbers don’t fit this commonly used total for aerobic glycogen breakdown in this context.

Glycogen breakdown provides glucose units to glycolysis without the initial ATP cost, because glucose-1-phosphate is released and converted to glucose-6-phosphate directly during glycogenolysis. This saves one ATP per glucose unit, boosting the overall ATP yield compared with starting glycolysis from free glucose. When you follow glycolysis with pyruvate oxidation, the citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation in aerobic respiration, the total energy released per mole of glycogen is conventionally taught as about 36 ATP. The other numbers don’t fit this commonly used total for aerobic glycogen breakdown in this context.