Succinyl-CoA synthetase functions in the citric acid cycle (TCA), coupling the hydrolysis of succinyl-CoA to the synthesis of either ATP or GTP and thus represents the only step of substrate-level phosphorylation in the TCA. The alpha subunit of the enzyme binds the substrates coenzyme A and phosphate, while succinate binding and specificity for either ATP or GTP is provided by different beta subunits.
