Mitochondrial and non-mitochondrial studies of ATP synthesis

Abstract

Energy is required to perform any kind of mechanical work. In living organisms, the energy for all biological functions is provided chemically by the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP supplies the energy required to synthesize cellular components and to maintain cell viability, by donating one or two phosphate groups, leaving adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or adenosine monophosphate (AMP), respectively. However, energy storage in the form of ATP is limited such that ATP must be resynthesized continuously in order to meet cellular energy demands. The generation or replenishment of ATP depends upon key metabolic pathways, glycolysis, glycogenolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation, which interact to regulate the rate of ATP metabolism and to direct cellular bioenergetics toward a defined homeostasis.