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AAT Bioquest

Where does cellular respiration take place?

Posted November 10, 2022


Answer

In prokaryotic cells, cellular respiration takes place in the cell cytoplasm. Prokaryotes do not have membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria, hence cellular respiration occurs in the cytoplasm itself. 

In eukaryotic cells, cellular respiration begins in the cytosol and is then carried out in the mitochondria. Cellular respiration takes place over 4 stages in eukaryotes. The first stage, glycolysis, occurs in the cytosol. The remaining 3 stages, pyruvate oxidation, the Krebs or citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation, occur in the mitochondria.

Additional resources

Regulation of Mitochondrial ATP Production: Ca 2+ Signaling and Quality Control

Mitochondria

ReadiPrep™ Nuclear/Cytoplasmic Fractionation Kit

Amplite® Colorimetric Pyruvate Assay Kit