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Why is the malate-aspartate and the glycerol-3-phosphate shuttles located in the cytosol and intermembrane space?

The krebs cycle happens in the matrix so why wouldn't they push electrons from the matrix and into the intermembrane complex for oxidative phosphorylation??

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The electrons for shuttling are mainly generated in the cytosol from glycolysis. NADH can easily pass the outer membrane, but must be shuttled over the inner membrane. It is important to consider that the electrons must be fed to oxidative phosphorylation from the matrix of the mitochondrion, and not the intermembrane space.

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  • $\begingroup$ I believe more NADH is generated during the citric acid cycle rather than the glycolysis? You say that the electrons are mainly generated in glycolysis? Also is this shuttling mechanism only used for the electrons generated by glycolysis and NOT the ones made in krebs cycle (as they are already situated in the matrix)? $\endgroup$
    – Paze
    Apr 7, 2015 at 16:39

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