Question

Choose the correct statement/s about amphibolic pathways.

• A. Fatty acids are used as a substrate when they are converted into acetyl CoA to enter the respiratory pathway.
• B. A pathway is said to be amphibolic when it can only perform catabolic activities like the breakdown of proteins into amino acids.
• C. Glycerol enters the Kreb's cycle as PGAL.
• D. Both (A) and (B)

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

Fats would need to be broken down into glycerol and fatty acids first. If fatty acids were to be respired they would first be degraded to acetyl CoA and enter the pathway. Glycerol would enter the pathway after being converted to PGAL. Fatty acids would be broken down to acetyl CoA before entering the respiratory pathway when it is used as a substrate. But when the organism needs to synthesise fatty acids, acetyl CoA would be withdrawn from the respiratory pathway for it.