Topic 4: Microbial Metabolism

Question 1

Catabolism

Answer 1

Breakdown of organic molecules so that energy may be gathered
E.x. Glycolysis, Kreb’s cycle

Question 2

Anabolism

Answer 2

Synthesis of complex organics from smaller “building blocks”

Question 3

Ribozymes

Answer 3

Modify other RNA molecules

Question 4

Enzyme effectiveness is affected by

Answer 4

• Substrate concentration
• Enzyme concentration
• Temperature
• pH
• Inhibitors

Question 5

Competitive Inhibitors

Answer 5

Inhibitors bind at the active site, blocking access by normal substrate

Question 6

Non-competitive Inhibitors

Answer 6

Inhibitor binds at a different site on the enzyme

• This changes the conformation of the active site, preventing the normal substrate from binding
• Some bind up cofactors

Question 7

Feedback Inhibition

Answer 7

End-product of a biochemical pathway inhibits the enzyme that mediates an early step of the pathway

Question 8

Autotroph

Answer 8

Co2, by carbon fixation

Question 9

Heterotroph

Answer 9

Complex organics (food)

Question 10

Chemotroph

Answer 10

Energy from Inorganic or organic compounds

Ex: SO4, glucose

Question 11

Phototroph

Answer 11

Energy from light

Question 12

Cyanobacteria

Answer 12

Photoautotrophs

Question 13

Reduction

Answer 13

When a compound gains an electron

Question 14

Oxidation

Answer 14

When a compound loses an electron

Question 15

Glycolysis

Answer 15

Extract energy from carbon-carbon bonds found in glucose and stores it as ATP

Question 16

How is pyruvate metabolized?

Answer 16

Fermentation

• Yields ethanol, lactic acid, etc
• Homo/hetero-fermentative

Question 17

Homofermentative

Answer 17

Producing a fermentation resulting in a single product

Question 18

Hetero-fermentative

Answer 18

Producing a fermentation resulting in multiple products

Question 19

Cellular respiration

Answer 19

Krebs cycle & electron transport chain

Question 20

Aerobic cellular respiration

Answer 20

Uses O2 as a terminal electron accepter

Question 21

Anaerobic cellular respiration

Answer 21

Uses nitrate, sulfate

Question 22

Respiration: transition step

Answer 22

Pyruvate combines with Coenzyme A to yield NADH and Acetyl CoA
- Also gives offf CO2

Question 23

Krebs Cycle

Answer 23

• Acetyl coA to citric acid

- 2 cycles occur for every glucose molecule metabolized

Question 24

Electron transport chain

Answer 24

A long chain of compounds being oxidized and reduced by electrons being passed along
- Electrons lose energy each time its passed along

Question 25

Where does the electron transport take place

Answer 25

Along the plasma membrane

Question 26

ATPase

Answer 26

Allows the protons back across the membrane

electron transport chain

Question 27

Fermentation yields__

Answer 27

Ethanol, lactic acid or other products

Question 28

Pentose phosphate pathway

Answer 28

• Parallel to glycolysis
• Products recycled back into pentose phosphate or into glycolysis
• Bacillus

Question 29

Entner-Doudoroff pathway

Answer 29

Cleaves glucose to pyruvate and G3P