2.3.2 Phosphorylated Nucleotides

Question 1

Structure of ATP & ADP

Answer 1

All organisms require a constant supply of energy to maintain their cells and stay alive
In all organisms this energy is required for:
- anabolic reactions (building larger molecules from smaller molecules)
- moving substances across the cell membrane or moving substances within the cell v
In animals, energy is also required for:
- muscle contraction - to coordinate movement at the whole-organism level
- the conduction of nerve impulses
In all known forms of life, ATP from respiration is used to transfer energy in all energy-requiring processes in life
- this is why ATP is known as the universal energy currency
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is a nucleotide
- the monomers of DNA and RNA are also nucleotide

Question 2

ATP

Answer 2

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the energy-carrying molecule that provides the energy to drive many processes inside living cells
ATP is another type of nucleic acid and hence it is structurally very similar to the nucleotides that make up DNA and RNA
It is a phosphorylated nucleotide
Adenosine (a nucleoside) can be combined with one, two or three phosphate groups
- one phosphate group = adenosine monophosphate (AMP)
- two phosphate groups = adenosine diphosphate (ADP)
- three phosphate groups = adenosine triphosphate (ATP)