Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Malate dehydrogenase
Malate Dehydrogenase (eg. EC 1.1.1.37) is an enzyme in the citric acid cycle that catalyzes the conversion of malate into oxaloacetate (using NAD) or pyruvate (using NADPH), and vice versa (this is a reversible reaction).
Malate dehydrogenase is also involved in gluconeogenesis, the synthesis of glucose from smaller molecules. Pyruvate in the mitochondria is acted upon by pyruvate carboxylase to form oxalocacetate, a citric acid cycle intermediate. In order to get the oxaloacetate out of the mitochondria, malate dehydrogenase reduces it to malate, and it then traverses the outer mitochondrial membrane. Once in the cytosol, the malate is oxidized back to oxaloacetate by cytosolic malate dehydrogenase. Finally, phosphoenol-pyruvate carboxy kinase (PEPCK) converts oxaloacetate to phosphoenol pyruvate.
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