Substrate level phosphorylation is seen in reaction catalyzed by which enzyme of citric acid cycle?
**Core Concept**
Substrate-level phosphorylation is a type of ATP-producing reaction that occurs in the citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle or tricarboxylic acid cycle). In this process, a high-energy phosphate group is directly transferred from a phosphate donor to ADP, generating ATP. This mechanism is distinct from oxidative phosphorylation, which relies on the electron transport chain to produce ATP.
**Why the Correct Answer is Right**
Succinate thiokinase (also known as succinyl-CoA synthetase) is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of succinyl-CoA to succinate in the citric acid cycle. During this reaction, a high-energy phosphate group is transferred from the succinyl-CoA molecule to GDP (or ADP), producing GTP (or ATP) and succinate. This reaction represents a classic example of substrate-level phosphorylation, where the energy from the succinyl-CoA molecule is directly used to drive the phosphorylation of GDP to GTP.
**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect**
**Option A:** Pyruvate kinase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the final step of glycolysis, converting phosphoenolpyruvate to pyruvate. While this reaction does involve substrate-level phosphorylation, it is not part of the citric acid cycle.
**Option C:** Phosphoglycerate kinase is an enzyme that catalyzes a reaction in glycolysis, converting 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate to 3-phosphoglycerate. Like pyruvate kinase, this reaction involves substrate-level phosphorylation, but it is not part of the citric acid cycle.
**Option D:** This option is incorrect because only one of the listed enzymes (succinate thiokinase) is actually involved in the citric acid cycle.
**Clinical Pearl / High-Yield Fact**
It's essential to remember that substrate-level phosphorylation is a distinct mechanism from oxidative phosphorylation, and it occurs in specific reactions within various metabolic pathways, including glycolysis and the citric acid cycle.
**β Correct Answer: B. Succinate thiokinase**