Metabolism Flashcards
(229 cards)
what are the primary sources of energy in cells?
- photosynthesis (plants and some bacteria)
- metabolism (2 types)
what is catabolic metabolism?
- Reactions that generate energy
- Reactions that generate energy from fuels such as fats and carbohydrates
- Breakdown of large complex molecules into smaller molecules
what is anabolic metabolism?
- Building up of larger molecules from smaller ones
- Eg building up of protein from amino acids
- Reactions that require energy → performance of mechanical work, active transport, synthesis of larger biomolecules
what is meant by metabolism is circular?
- catabloic reactions fuel anabolism
- energy released from catabolic is used for anabolic
what are the stages of catabolism?
- Break down complex dietary substrates into simple organic molecules (digestion)
- Monomers enter different pathways which results in the production of Acetyl CoA, feeds into the cells main energy production paths (small amount of energy produced)
- The TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation generating most of the cells energy
what is the universal energy currency?
ATP - free energy that the cells trade in
how is energy produced?
Break down our dietary substrates which generates energy captured in the form of ATP
describe the breakdown of ATP?
- coupled to an energy required reaction
- used in an anabolic reaction
- in the presence of water ATP is broken dow into ADP and a free phosphate group
what is ATP?
- adenosine triphophosphate
- Consists of adenosine (adenine and ribose) and 3 phosphoryl groups
- The final phosphoanhydride bond is a high energy bond which releases energy when broken which can then be harnessed by a living system to fuel anabolism
what is a hydrolysis reation?
water is needed
what is the free energy change for ATP?
large and negative (-30.5)
how do ATP and ADP compare?
ATP is at a much higher state than ADP → going from a high energy to low energy therefore releasing a lot of energy
why does ATP have such a high phosphoryl potential?
high energy molecules → wants to get rid of a phosphate group to be in a lower energy state → more stable → good phosphate donor
Electrostatic repulsion → negative charges of phosphate groups in ATP repel each other → 3 negative charges next to each = very unstable
Resonance stabilisation → ADP and phosphate have more resonance structures which results in a more favourable state compared with ATP → double bond is shared between the oxygen atoms
Water can bind more easily to ADP and phosphate resulting in stabilisation → reactions take place in an aqueous environment
describe ATP in the body
- at rest about 24kg/day (vary depending on basal metbaolism)
- during exercise 0.5kg/minute
- body only contains 100g of ATP at any one time
- ATP is made as we need it → constantly generated by catabolic pathways
what are electron carriers?
- NADH, NADPH and FADH
what is an acyl carrier?
coenzyme A
what happens to substrates in metabolism?
- oxidised
- generating energy
why are electron carriers needed?
- glucose is oxidised oxygen become an electron acceptor
- final electron acceptor in that metabolic reaction
- electrons aren’t transferred directly but they go through the carriers NADH and FADH first
- act as intermediates → act as an electron acceptor and then oxygen becomes the electron acceptor and they become reduced
what are the features of NAD?
- At one end of the molecule there is a reactive site
- This can accept an hydrogen atom it also accepts electrons
- Reduced form carrying electrons
Has ADP
what are the features of FAD?
- Has 2 reactive sites and so can accept 2 hydrogen atoms and at the same time accepts electrons
- Has ADP
what are the features of coenzyme A?
- Has ADP
- Reactive group is a beta mercaptoethylamine unit which has a sulfur atom and this sulfur atom can accept and acyl group
- This is important in using fatty acids, need acyl groups to be transferred in order for fatty acids to move into the cell
apart from ATP what are some other phosphate carriers?
Phosphoenolpyruvate
1,3 - Bisphosphoglycerate
Creatine phosphate
what can happen if the phosphate carriers have higher energy than ATP?
can donate their phosphate group onto ADP to create ATP
what phosphate carriers can phosphorylate ADP?
PEP and 1,3 BPG are used during glycolysis