The Beverly Krebs Cycle


This is a story of a little molecule
that through Krebs cycle's turned into most o' a cell's fuel
In just a moment you shall see
how it's used to make ATP
		(fuel, that is -- adenine triphosphate)

Pyruvic acid's at the start of the chain
now this little thing may seem rather plain
once a CO_2 and H+ goes away
we're left with acetyl coenzyme A
		(now the cycle begins...)

Now our poor acetyl is left by coenzyme A
but oxaloacetic acid comes to save the day
these 2 carbons plus this four make a neat trick
along w/ water, they form the acid citric 
		(vitamin C, that is -- let's not get scurvy)

Bein bored w/ their partners, the carbons in this chain
decide to dos-i-dos, then trap a water again
from isocitric acid, a CO_2 escapes
and then 2 hydrogens go to make NaDH
		(well, NaDH and a proton, really)
		(it's an electron transport helper)

Now this is the most important part of our tale,
we'll get alot of ATP plus a water, as well
from the NaDH and proton's electric energy
we get enough to make 3 ATPs
		(plus that water)
		(we didn't forget)
		(let's return to our cycle)

Now tho it seems that these molecules are dead
(alternate: If this cycle stops, then soon you'll be dead)
so let's look back at alpha-ketoglutaric acid
all this stuff comes out through w/ loss of energy
and enough left over to make ATP
		(fuel that is, adenine triphosphate)
			(heard that one afore?)
		(watch that NaDH & proton...)
		(got 3 more ASTPs comin atcha (plus that water?))
		(boy, haven't we talked enough?)

Now if you watch this next step real close
this FaDH_2 don't act like most
in the electron transport chain, this thing's real cheap
cause it only adds 2 ATP to the heap
		(got cheated, we did)
		(even after we gave it 2 Hs...)

this stuff we have now seems pretty placid
so we add H2O to get some malic acid
we give up two H+s to make oxaloacetic acid
then we send more NaDH to electron transport

		(thought we'd rhyme that last line, didn't ya?)
		(remember that acid - we're right back at the start!)
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