28 Flashcards
What is glucose used as?
A fuel in all organisms (animals, fungi, plants, bacteria)
What is glucose oxidised in?
Glycolysis
Where does glycolysis happen
usually cytoplasmic in eukaryotes (other pathways mitochondrial)
Some cells in animals rlly on/ preferentially use…
Glucose
Glucose is essential as fuel for______ why?
red blood cells
Red blood cells do not have mitochondria, so do not have the other pathways
What is the preferred fuel in the brain but expand on ‘preferred’
- High energy requirement: human brain requires around 120 g of glucose per day
- Brain cells have mitochondria - can do other pathways
Why is glucose a preferred molecule?
ORIGNALLY: - Glucose easily crosses the blood-brain barrier, but fats do not (fats being the alternative source)
NOW: - A high level of fatty acid metabolism is dangerous - Relying on mitochondrial reactions and higher levels of oxygen risks anoxia (low oxygen) and higher production of damaging reactive oxygen species
Glucose is the favoured molecule in the _ _ _ WHY?
Eye
- blood vessels (bringing oxygen) and mitochodria would refract light in the optical path (lens, cornea) to retina
White muscles tend to use ______ red muscles tend to use_____
What is glycolysis
Splitting of glucose
- Conversion of one molecule of glucose (6 carbon) to two molecules of pyruvate (3 carbon)
- Pyruvate may be further metabolized aerobically or anaerobically
Where is energy conserved in glycolysis
Energy conserved in ATP and NADH
Two phases of glycolysis and the net
- Activation of glucose Getting the molecule into a form so energy can be captured Requires an energy input
- Return on the investment Making an ATP profit
(After glycolysis there is still carbon in pyruvate that can be extracted for energy)
What does the ‘energy investment’ phase entail? What does the ‘energy payoff’ phase entail?
- Splitting (6C to 3C) the
molecule occurs at the end of the investment phase - After a conversion, both 3C molecules are processed the same way
(On both sides ADP is getting phosphorlyated to ATP - both sides) - so for each split glucose these reactions are happening twice
The two molecules that split then what happens?
G3P continues on in glycolysis
DHAP cant go directly through and must be converted to G3P first
Key reactions for the activation of glucose
The splitting or aldolase reaction - what drives to relation of DHAP to G-3-P?
G-3-P is used in the energy payoff phase
- keeps concentration low
- drives reaction from DHAP to G-3-P
In terms of carbons and number of molecules and numbers of phosphates
The splitting or aldolase reaction
What enzyme allows the change from DHAP to G-3-P?
Triose phosphate isomerase (rearrangement)
How come DHAP and G-3-P aren’t actually at travelling in equal directions (equilibrium)
There isn’t 1 mol of each, G-3-P is used in the reaction pathway and therefore the reaction favours making more G-3-P from DHAP
(Always making both and only removing G-3-P)
Pathways for processing food molecules for ATP synthesis - Two key types of reactions:
- Those involving ADP and ATP ATP synthesis: ADP + Pi —> ATP
a. substrate-level phosphorylation- direct (A + ADP —> B + ATP) - energy comes from
substrate
b. oxidative phosphorylation - Indirect (reduced co-enzymes)
- direct (A + ADP —> B + ATP) - energy comes from
- Redox reactions Fuel molecules get oxidized
What is Substrate level phosphorylation (SLP)
The DIRECT use of energy from a substrate molecule to drive the synthesis of ATP (or equivalent)
How do you release the energy to drive a substrate-level phosphorylation what’s the problem with that?
One way to release the energy to drive a substrate-level phosphorylation is the cleavage of a high-energy phosphate ester bond on a substrate
But
But 1 ATP has been spent to add each phosphate on G-3-P….
….and we need a net gain of ATP in glycolysis
A key reaction for making an ATP profit: Oxidation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate - how does this work?
- NAD+ is reduced (provides oxidising power)
- phosphate from solution added to substrate
The addition of phosphate is powered by oxidation of G-3-P
The addition of phosphate does not require ATP
- glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase uses the energy from the exisiting reaction to add the phosphate
(THIS IS HAPPENING TWICE FOR EACH GLUCOSE MOLECULE)