Discuss the biochemical significance of the fact that the reaction catalyzed by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is irreversible

Answer 1

The reaction catalyzed by pyruvate dehydrogenase in the Krebs cycle is irreversible. This signifies that there is an almost insurmountable ∆G for the backwards reaction. Therefore, irreversible reactions within the cell serve as areas for metabolic control/ regulation. The "significance" is that the cell highly regulates rate limiting steps and irreversible reactions.