What pathway generates 90% of the ATP needed by red blood cells?

The pathway that generates 90% of the ATP needed by red blood cells is the Embden-Meyerhoff pathway, also known as glycolysis. This pathway is crucial for red blood cells as they lack mitochondria, so they rely on anaerobic glycolysis to produce ATP. During this process, glucose is broken down into pyruvate, yielding ATP and NADH in the process, which are essential for maintaining cellular function and integrity.

In red blood cells, ATP is primarily utilized for maintaining membrane integrity, ion balance, and overall cellular metabolism. The efficiency of the Embden-Meyerhoff pathway in producing ATP under anaerobic conditions makes it the predominant energy-generating pathway for these cells.

While other pathways mentioned contribute to various cellular functions or metabolic processes, they do not play a significant role in ATP production compared to the Embden-Meyerhoff pathway. For instance, the hexose monophosphate shunt is important for providing NADPH and ribose-5-phosphate for anabolic reactions but does not directly produce a large amount of ATP.