Question

The primary fate of acetyl CoA under normal metabolic conditions is degradation in the citric acid cycle to yield CO₂. When the body is stressed by prolonged starvation, however, acetyl CoA is converted into compounds called ketone bodies, which can be used by the brain as a temporary fuel. Fill in the missing information indicated by the four question marks in the following biochemical pathway for the synthesis of ketone bodies from acetyl CoA:

Short answer

The complete equation for the ketone bodies synthesis can be determined.

Step-by-step solution

Three ketone bodies

There are three ketone bodies are acetoacetate, acetone and D-B-hydoxybutyrate.

Reaction equation

The diagram can be represented as,