Exam 2 (On Final) Flashcards
Metabolism (129 cards)
What are the five principles of metabolism?
- Metabolic pathways: series of linked reactions that degrade fuels and construct large molecules step by step
- ATP: common energy currency, link energy-releasing & requiring pathways
- Carbon fuel oxidation: form ATP
- Types of reactions and intermediates: limited and common to many pathways
- Metabolic reactions are highly regulated
What are the three major processes of the cell and what are the two options to get energy?
Energy: phototroph (sunlight), chemotroph (oxidate foodstuffs) stored as ATP
Processes
1) Mechanical work (movement)
2) Active transport
3) Synthesis (anabolism)
What is an important general principle of metabolism pathways?
What is an important thermodynamic fact?
biosynthetic and degradative pathways are almost always distinct.
overall free-energy changes for a chemically coupled series of reactions is equal to the sum of the free-energy changes of the individual steps
What are the criteria of metabolic pathways?
1) individual reactions must be specific
2) entire set of reactions must be thermodynamically favorable
What is ATP composed of? What’s its activated form? What makes it energy rich?
Composition: adenine, ribose, triphosphate unit
Activated: complex w/ Mg2+ or Mn2+
Energy rich: because triphosphate unit has two phosphoanhydride bonds
What happens during ATP hydrolysis?
energy is released as ATP is hydrolyzed to ADP and orthophosphate (Pi) and more when hydrolyzed to AMP and pyrophosphate (PPi)
- coupled to another reaction decreases AG altering the equilibrium so more product is formed
(Precise energy released depends on medium ionic strength and on Mg2+ and other metal ion concentrations)
What are the reactions of other nucleotide triphosphates?
Nucleoside monophosphate kinase: NMP + ATP = NDP + ADP
Nucleoside diphosphate kinase:
NDP + ATP = NTP + ADP
What are two important electron carriers?
NAD+ and FAD coenzymes and derivatives of ATP
What is phosphoryl potential?
It answers the question of what phosphorylates, transfers a phosphate, well (has a stronger tendency to transfer) . Standard values are gotten from transferring a phosphate to water. (Better means more negative delta G)
Why does ATP have a high phosphoryl potential?
Features of ATP’s structure. (contrast products and reactant)
1) Resonance Stabilization: Orthophosphate has greatest resonance stabilization because of its negative charges of all ATP P’s
2) Electrostatic Repulsion: Four negative charges repel–repulsion reduced with hydrolysis
3) Increase in Entropy: Now two molecules
4) Stabilization due to hydration: Water stabilizes ADP and Pi (reverse reaction now unfavorable)
Where is ATP on the scale of phosphorylation potential? Why is this important?
Middle of the pack. Things like phosphoenolpyruvate, 1,2-Bisphosphoglycerate, and creatine phosphate have greater potential making ATP an excellent carrier of phosphate groups.
What does the relative phosphorylation potentials of creatine and ATP do for the body?
Creatine phosphate’s greater phosphorylation potential allows for it to regenerate ATP that is quickly used up. (Prolongs energy until anaerobic metabolism takes over)
What is one of the primary roles of catabolism?
ATP generation. (the principle immediate donor of free energy)
How does the oxidation or reduction of a molecule relate to the energy storage? What’s the ultimate electron acceptor and product in carbon oxidation?
More reduced more energy.
- Ultimate electron acceptor in carbon oxidation is O2 and the oxidation product is CO2 (least energy)
What is carbon-oxidation energy used for?
Sometimes to create ion gradient, ultimately to form ATP
How does carbon oxidation occur?
Oxidation energy creates an acyl phosphate with a high phosphoryl-transfer potential (electrons are captured) which will be used to form ATP
What do ion gradients do for cellular energy?
They are a form of electrochemical potential to store free energy that can make or be produced by ATP.
Oxidative phosphorylation is the formation of proton gradients by the oxidation of carbon fuels
What’s so special about phosphates?
Phosphate esters are thermodynamically unstable (AG = -) and kinetically stable (stabilized by H2O, O cannot get in because of negative charge repulsion) so energy release is regulated by enzymes
(no other ions have these chemical properties)
What are the three steps to get energy from foodstuffs?
1) digestion: large molecules in food broken down into smaller units
2) small molecules are degraded to a few simple units for metabolism
3) ATP produced from complete oxidation of acetyl unit of acetyl CoA
What are the three categories of activated carriers?
- Of Electrons for Fuel Oxidation
- Of Electrons for Reductive Biosynthesis
- Two-Carbon Fragments
Why are activated carriers of electrons needed for fuel oxidation? What are the two kinds?
O2 is the ultimate electron acceptor but the electrons do not go directly go first to special carriers
- Pyridine nucleotides or flavins: reduced forms transfer high-potential electrons to O2
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)
What are the facts of NAD+?
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
Reactive part: nicotinamide ring (pyridine derivative)
From: vitamin niacin
Oxidation: accepts H+ and two electrons (NADH)
What are the facts of FAD?
flavin adenine dinucleotide
Oxidized: FAD, Reduced: FADH2
Reactive part: isoalloxazine ring
From: vitamin riboflavin
Accepts: two protons
What are the activated carrier of electrons for reductive biosynthesis?
Need high-potential electrons
Donor: NADPH (different from NADH in 2’-hydroxyl group of adenosine moiety is esterified with phosphate but carries electrons the same) Used for biosynthesis, NADH- used for ATP