Cell

Citric acid cycle

Mathematics

Biology

Statistics

Function (biology)

Metabolic pathway

Tricarboxylic acid

Cell cycle

Flexibility (engineering)

Oxidative phosphorylation

Metabolism

Computational biology

Cell biology

Biochemistry

Journal of Biological Chemistry

The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, otherwise known as the Krebs cycle, is a central metabolic pathway that performs the essential function of oxidizing nutrients to support cellular bioenergetics. More recently, it has become evident that TCA cycle behavior is dynamic, and products of the TCA cycle can be co-opted in cancer and other pathologic states. In this review, we revisit the TCA cycle, including its potential origins and the history of its discovery. We provide a detailed accounting of the requirements for sustained TCA cycle function and the critical regulatory nodes that can stimulate or constrain TCA cycle activity.

Regulation and function of the mammalian tricarboxylic acid cycle