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| Fig. 1The Citric Counselors |
Could the smallest brain be "the citric acid cycle" (Fig. 1)?
With the help of the wonderful works of art of Celeste Roberge I will contemplate that question.
Let's contemplate and answer "If so, then a group of Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Sulfur, Phosphorus, and Oxygen atoms got together and "decided" to become a cycle."
The cycle begins when a smaller group transfers some of "itself" ("its 2-carbon acetyl group") to another smaller group to make a larger group.
One wonders if that decreased or increased the brain power, because in the end it keeps on "thinking" the same thing and doing the same thing.
But "its longstanding sway over our planet's biotic processes" takes a lot of "molecule-level shenanigans", where 'splainin,' how these atoms select their "self" (Transformer, The Krebs (Bi)Cycle) is something only those who play with the doll "Coenzyme A" can "know" for sure (The Doll As Metaphor, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).
II. The Data
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| Oxaloacetate C4H4O5+ Acetyl-CoA ((C23H38N7O17P3S + H2O) - CoA-SH (C21H36N7O16P3S)) = Citrate (C6H8O7) |
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| Citrate (C6H8O7) -->Isocitrate (C6H8O7) |
Step 2: The citrate is rearranged to form an isomeric form, isocitrate (C6H8O7)
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| Isocitrate (C6H8O7) -->Alpha-ketoglutarate (C5H6O5) |
Step 3: The 6-carbon isocitrate is oxidized and a molecule of carbon dioxide is removed producing the 5-carbon moleculealpha-ketoglutarate. During this oxidation, NAD+is reduced to NADH and H+ (C5H6O5).
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| Alpha-ketoglutarate (C5H6O5) --> Succinyl-CoA (C25H40N7O19P3S) |
Step 4: Alpha-ketoglutarate is oxidized carbon dioxide is removed, and coenzyme A is added to form the 4-carbon compound succinyl-CoA. During this oxidation, NAD+ is reduced to NADH + H+ (C25H40N7O19P3S).
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| Succinyl-CoA (C25H40N7O19P3S) -->Succinate (C4H6O4) |
Step 5: CoA is removed from succinyl-CoA to produce succinate. The energy released is used to make guanosine triphosphate(GTP) from guanosine diphosphate (GDP) and Pi by substrate-level phosphorylation. GTP can then be used to make ATP (C4H6O4).
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| Succinate (C4H6O4) -->Fumarate (C4H4O4) |
Step 6: Succinate is oxidized to fumarate. During this oxidation, FAD is reduced to FADH2 (C4H4O4).
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| Fumarate (C4H4O4) -->Malate (C4H6O5) |
Step 7: Water is added to fumarate to form malate (C4H6O5).
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| Malate (C4H6O5) -->Oxaloacetate C4H4O5 |
Step 8: Malate is oxidized to produce oxaloacetate, the starting compound of the citric acid cycle. During this oxidation, NAD+ is reduced to NADH + H+ (C4H4O5).
III. The Art Of Artifical Thinking
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| Step 1. Coenzyme A Contemplates Transferring A chunk of self |
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| Step 2. The citrate is rearranged |
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| Step 3. 6-carbon isocitrate is oxidized and a molecule of carbon dioxide is removed |
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| Step 4. Alpha-ketoglutarate is oxidized carbon dioxide is removed and coenzyme A is adds its "self" |
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| Step 5. CoA is removed from succinyl-CoA to produce succinate |
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| Step 6. Succinate is oxidized to fumarate |
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| Step 7: Water is added to fumarate to form malate |
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| Step 8: Malate is oxidized to produce oxaloacetate "I AM A CYCLE NOW" |
IV. The Answer
Watch the video below (spoiler alert "We don't know.").
V. Closing Comments
There are billions of atoms in each of the "rock people" art work by Celeste, yet I could hopefully not convince you that they are contemplating and doing what a handful of atoms are said to be contemplating and doing.
This is just one example of what the use of teleology does to make science pseudo-science (On The Origin of Genieology - 2).
The previous post in this series is here.