Answer:
Substrate-level phosphorylation.
Substrate-level phosphorylation is a metabolic process in which a phosphate group is transferred from a high-energy molecule to ADP (adenosine diphosphate), forming ATP (adenosine triphosphate). In this process, the phosphate group is transferred directly from a phosphorylated substrate molecule, such as phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), to ADP, resulting in the formation of ATP.
PEP is an energy-rich molecule and a metabolic intermediate in glycolysis. During substrate-level phosphorylation, one of the phosphate groups from PEP is transferred to ADP, synthesizing ATP. This process occurs in various metabolic pathways, including the glycolytic pathway and the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle).
Since ATP does not have the highest phosphate transfer potential compared to other high-energy molecules like phosphoenolpyruvate or creatine phosphate, cells can generate ATP easily through substrate-level phosphorylation by directly transferring a phosphate group from these molecules to ADP. This provides an efficient means to rapidly produce ATP as a cellular energy source.