Oxalosuccinic acid

Oxalosuccinic acid is a substrate of the citric acid cycle. It is acted upon by isocitrate dehydrogenase. Salts and esters of oxalosuccinic acid are known as oxalosuccinates.

Oxalosuccinic acid/oxalosuccinate is an unstable 6-carbon intermediate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. It's an alpha-keto compound, formed during the oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate to alpha-ketoglutarate, which is catalyzed by the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase. Oxalosuccinate never leaves the active site of the enzyme, however; it's unstable and immediately undergoes decarboxylation to produce the 5-carbon compound, alpha-ketoglutarate.