Glenn Wolkenfield - Glycolysis lyrics

[Intro] Hey sugar Come on over here, sweetie Let's break it down [Verse 1] Glycolysis is a series of reactions, enzymatic actions, energy transactions Takes glucose, a molecule so sugary Breaks it down for NADH and ATP It's an anaerobic cytoplasmic pathway that amazes Organized easily into three phases: Investment, cleavage, and energy harvest Tell me later which one you like the best Investment: activation energy's supplied Cleavage: our six carbon sugar divides Harvest: we get our energy yield So beautiful, so intricate, keep your eyes peeled! [Chorus] Glycolysis, come on sugar, come on sugar For the breakdown, for the breakdown [Verse 2] Investment's like striking a match That energy you put into it makes the fire catch For glycolysis, investment's two ATPs which act as activation energy Enzymes take phosphate from ATPs Jam 'em onto glucose, rearranging it to fructose Leaving fructose 1,6-bisphosphate on the table With two phosphates, it's highly unstable! Moving us to the second phase The cleaving of fructose bisphosphate 'Cause glycolysis means "splitting sugar," you can see Cleavage yields two molecules with carbons three One is glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, G3P It continues on our pathway, broken down for energy But the second one an enzyme will immediately Convert into a second G3P [Chorus] [Verse 3] Phase 3: G3P gets rearranged and oxidized By an enzymatic a**embly line That harvests energy from each G3P One NADH and two ATPs Double this yield per G3P To two NADH and four ATPs That's the gross yield for every glucose in A generous accounting of glycolysis' win But two ATPs were invested in phase one So you net just two you can use to jump or run! Put two in, get four out, your net gain is two Two ATPs that you can use If that doesn't seem like very much, it's 'cause it ain't There's tons of energy left in pyruvate The two 3-carbon molecules we're left with at the end And what happens to pyruvate's gonna depend On the metabolic pathway where pyruvate gets sent If it's anaerobic, it'll be fermented But in aerobic cells, pyruvate's termination Will be the Krebs cycle and total oxidation [Chorus] [Verse 4] Glycolysis starts with investment Of two ATPs to the glucose that we started with The product is cleaved into two G3Ps From which the cell harvests NADH and ATPs This anaerobic pathway is respiration's first phase Billions of years old, evolved in ancient days Before O2 accumulated in the seas Before eukaryotic cells arrived at the scene It's everywhere, ubiquitous, in every organism Bacteria, sequoia tree, no matter your metabolism Happens in the cytoplasm, doesn't need no organelles You want to find glycolysis? Look in any cell! [Chorus x2]