Chapter 6: Cellular Respiration Flashcards
(30 cards)
ATP
Adesonine Triphosphate - an energy-toting molecule, essential for nearly every activity that requires energy input in the cell. Creation of ATP falls into three categories - aerobic respiration, fermentation, and anaerobic respiration
Photosynthesis
Carbon Dioxide + water = glucose (energy for reaction supplied by light)
Aerobic respiration
A cell uses Oxygen gas and glucose to generate ATP. The equation for this is essentially the reverse of photosynthesis : Glucose + oxygen –> carbon dioxide + water + 36 ATP. *acquires O2 (oxygen) and gets rid of CO2 (carbon dioxide)
formation of ATP
an enzyme tacks a phosphate group onto ADP, yielding ATP
Respiration 1
- an redox (oxidation - reduction reaction)
- pathways of aerobic respiration OXIDIZE (remove electrons from) GLUCOSE and REDUCE (add electrons to) OXYGEN. This reaction RELEASES ENERGY, and is the energy needed to form ATP
Why does respiration happen in a series of small steps, as opposed to all at once?
If a cell released all the potential energy in glucose’s chemical bonds in one uncontrolled step, the sudden release of heat would destroy the cell! Instead, the chemical bonds and atoms in glucose are rearranged one step at a time, releasing a tiny bit of energy with each transformation. *some energy is released as heat, but most of it is stored in ATP
Respiration 2
broken down into 3 steps: 1) glycolysis 2) Krebs cycle 3) electron transport
Step # 1) Glycolysis basics
- (literally means “breaking sugar”)
- a 6 carbon glucose molecule splits into two 3-carbon molecules of pyruvate.
- Harvests energy in 2 forms:
1) some electrons from glucose are transferred to electron carrier molecule NADH
2) glycolysis generates 2 molecules at ATP - always occurs in CYTOSOL, both procaryotes and eucaryotes
NADH
electron carrier molecule - Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
Step # 2) Krebs Cycle basics
- pyruvate is OXIDIZED
- oxygen is RELEASED
- Enzymes rearranged atoms and molecules, transferring pyruvate’s potential energy and electrons to ATP, NADH, and FADH2
- at the end of the Krebs cycle, carbon atoms that made up glucose are gone, liberated at CO2
- a few ATP molecules are formed, but most still lie in the high energy electron carriers NADH and FADH2
- happens in cell membrane in procaryotes and mitochondria in eucaryotes
FADH2
Calvin adenine dinucleotide
H+
H+ is a hydrogen atom stripped of its electrons, leaving just a proton
Step # 3) Electron Transport Chain (Phase)
ETP basics
- transfers electrons from NADH and FADH2 through membrane proteins
- as electrons pass through the electron transport chain, energy is used to CREATE A GRADIENT OF HYDROGEN IONS (therefore a PROTON GRADIENT)
- mitochondrian uses potential energy in the proton gradient to generate ATP
ATP synthase
- enzyme that forms a channel in the membrane during electron transport phase, releasing protons and using energy to add phosphate to ADP, creating ATP.
- “spent” electrons are transferred to O2, generating WATER AS A WASTE PRODUCT
Respiration 3
All forms of respiration, anaerobic and aerobic, use an electron transport chain
Respiration in Eucaryotes
- begins in cytosol
- ends in mitochondria
Respiration in Procaryotes
- begins in cytosol
- ends in cell membrane
Mitochondria
- bound by 2 membranes, OUTER MEMBRANE and INNER MEMBRANE
- inner membrane that is tightly folded is the CRISTAE
- area between the inner and outer membranes is the INTERMEMBRANE COMPARTMENT
- The fluid enclosed within the inner membrane is the MATRIX
- mitochondria creates most of the ATP in Krebs and ETP
Krebs cycle in the mitochondria
- the two pyruvate molecules (produced in glycolysis) cross the two mitochondrial membranes and move INTO the MATRIX
- enzymes cleave pyruvate and carry out Krebs cycle
ETP in mitochondria
- FADH and NAHD2 from glycolysis and the Krebs cycle move into the inner membrane
Glycolysis 1
- requires 10 steps, broken down into 2 stages: “energy investment” and “energy harvest”.
- overall, breaks down glucose into two 3-carbon pyruvate molecules.
- all occurs in the cytosol of the cell
- this step does NOT REQUIRE OXYGEN, so can occur in aerobic and anaerobic environments.
- Energy investment step: cell “spends” TWO ATP molecules to ACTIVATE glucose, splitting it in half
- energy harvest step: cell generates a return on its “investment”, producing 2 molecules of NADH and 4 molecules of ATP.
- **NET GAIN OF GLYCOLYSIS IS 2 NADHs AND 2 ATP PER MOLECULE OF GLUCOSE
Substrate-level phosphorylation
When an enzyme transfers a phosphate group directly from a high energy “donor” molecule to ATP. This method of producing ATP does NOT require a proton gradient or the ATP synthase enzyme.
Krebs cycle 1
- right before Krebs, a transition step further oxidizes each pyruvate molecule by removing a molecule of CO2, and NAD+ is REDUCED to NADH.
- remaining 2-carbon molecule is transferred to a coenzyme to form acetyl coenzyme A (Acetyl CoA). THIS is the compound that enters the Krebs cycle.
Krebs cycle 2
-completes oxidation of each Acetyl group, RELEASING CO2 (Acetyl CoA sheds coenzyme, and combines with 4-carbon molecule). Resulting 6-carbon molecule is CITRATE. remaining steps REARRANGE and OXIDIZE citrate