The Basis of Life Flashcards
(50 cards)
metabolism
the sum of all chemical reactions that occur in the body
catabolic vs. anabolic
catabolic reactions
break down large chemicals; release energy
anabolic reactions
build up large chemicals; require energy
ingestion
acquisition of food and other raw materials
digestion
process of converting food into a useable soluble form; allows for passing through membranes in the digestive tract
absorption
passage of nutrient molecules through the lining of the digestive tract
diffusion vs. active transport
transport
the circulation of essential compounds required to nourish and remove wastes from the tissues
assimilation
building up of new tissues
respiration
the consumption of oxygen by the body
excretion
removal of waste products produced during metabolic processes
synthesis
the creation of complex molecules from simple ones
regulation
control of physiological activities
homeostasis
body’s metabolism functions to maintain its internal environment in a changing external environment
growth
an increase in size caused by synthesis of new materials
reproduction
generation of additional individuals of a species
enzymes are: (3)
- proteins
- organic catalyst that do NOT alter the equilibrium constant, are NOT consumed in the reaction
- selective (pH and temperature sensitive)
2 models for enzyme-substrate binding
Lock & key theory
Induced fit theory
lock & key theory
spatial structure of an enzyme’s active site is exactly complementary to the spatial structure of its substrate
receptor (lock) & drug substance (key)
induced fit theory
active site has flexibility
when appropriate substrate comes in contact with the active site, the conformation of the active site changes to fit the substrate
what affects the reaction rate?
concentration of substrate & enzymes
temperature
pH
Vmax
the maximum rate of a reaction under certain conditions; reflects how fast an enzyme can catalyze a reaction
increasing the substrate concentration will increase the rxn rate until all the active sites are occupied
competitive inhibition (2)
- when a similar molecule with comparable concentration to the substrate competes with the substrate for the binding site and interferes with enzyme activity
- enzyme is inhibited by the inactive competitor
noncompetitive inhibition (3)
- irreversible
- an inhibitor that is covalently bound to an enzyme that can not be displaced by the addition of excess substrate
- allosteric inhibition: inhibition takes place at a site other than the active site-> changes enzyme structure & active site
the _____ is the fundamental unit of all living things
cell