A patient with chronic alcoholism has a thiamine deficiency, impairing the link reaction. Which conversion is most likely disrupted in their mitochondria?
Q1. A patient with chronic alcoholism has a thiamine deficiency, impairing the link reaction. Which conversion is most likely disrupted in their mitochondria?
Answer: Pyruvate to Acetyl-CoA
Explanation: Pyruvate decarboxylation requires thiamine pyrophosphate; glycolysis is tempting but its steps do not involve CO2 removal or thiamine.