Using Glucose to generate ATP Flashcards
Why is glycolysis required as a preparation step for generating a lot of ATP in other metabolic reactions?
What will the pyruvate product (of glycolysis) be used for in aerobic respiration?
Through glycolysis, glucose is converted into two pyruvate.
In aerobic respiration (where oxygen is present), pyruvate is converted to acetyl CoA in preparation for the CAC.
Acetyl CoA is needed in the first step of the CAC to begin the process.
After pyruvate (from glycolysis) has been converted to acetyl CoA, the acetyl CoA can be used to start the CAC.
Why is the CAC required as a preparation step for generating a lot of ATP in other metabolic reactions?
What will the NADH and FADH2 coenzyme products (of the CAC) be used for as the CMP continues?
The CAC is needed as a preparation step towards creating ATP from carbohydrate, as its electron-rich coenzyme products, NADH and FADH2, are needed in the next step of the CMP, which is the ETC.
The electron-rich coenzymes provide electrons to begin the ETC, which are passed along the protein complexes.
Redox reactions are used to take the electrons off
the electron-rich coenzymes and transfer them onto the protein complexes of the ETC.
What are the metabolic pathways that make up the CMP? How are these reactions connected to each other?
The CMP consists of the CAC, followed by the ETC and then OP. Together the reactions of the CMP are used to convert the acetyl CoA input into a lot of ATP.
What is the input for the CMP? What fuels can be used to create the input needed to begin the CMP?
Together the reactions of the CMP are used to convert the acetyl CoA input into a lot of ATP.
The acetyl CoA can either be derived from glucose (carbohydrate) or fatty acids (lipid).
After the electron-rich coenzymes, NADH and FADH2 have been made in the CAC, the coenzymes provide the electrons to begin the ETC.
What does the ETC do that allows a lot of ATP to be generated in OP? Describe how OP regenerates ATP from ADP and Pi.
As electrons are passed along the complexes within the electron transport chain, the H+ channels within the protein complexes open, which allows H+ to move from the mitochondrial matrix into the intermembrane space.
Once there is sufficient H+ in the intermembrane space, the H+ can move back into the matrix via the ATP synthase protein.
As the H+ move through ATP synthase, the energy of the H+ movement (gradient) is harnessed to attach a Pi onto ADP (creating another phosphoanhydride bond) to generate ATP (ADP + Pi —-> ATP).
The amount of ATP made in OP is proportional to the amount of H+ that move through ATP synthase.
What can the ATP produced in OP be used for? What would happen if the cell stopped making ATP?
Sustains all cellular processes that require energy.
The cell requires energy to remain functional and alive.
In the absence of ATP the cell will die. If enough cells within an organ die the organ will stop functioning.
