Metabolic Pathways Flashcards
What is cell metabolism?
All the biochemical reactions that occur in a living cell
What is an anabolic reaction?
They make complex molecules from simpler ones, they usually require energy
What is a catabolic reaction?
Complex molecules are broken down into simpler ones, these reactions release energy and provide building blocks for anabolic reactions
What is a metabolic pathway?
A pathway often has reversible and irreversible steps that help with this control
What is activation energy?
Biochemical reactions may involve joining molecules together or splitting complex molecules- in each case energy is needed to break chemical bonds and start the reaction this is called activation energy
What are alternative routes?
Metabolic pathways can also take alternative routes that allow steps to be bypassed this happens when a cell has a plentiful supply of glucose
What is an induced fit?
