Week 3 Flashcards
What is catabolism and provide some examples?
- degradation of complex molecules into small moleculesd
- release of chemical energy into energy-transferring molecules (i.e. ATP)
- Example: Breaking down glucose into pyruvate (a three carbon molecule)
What is anabolism and provide an example?
- biosynthesis of complex molecules from simple precursors
- utilization of chemical energy from energy-transferring molecules
- Example: Gluconeogenesis
What are the three functions of metabolism (how do they integrate and coordinate biosynthesis/degradation)?
- Obtain chemical energy from the degradation of energy-rich nutrients
- Convert nutrient molecules into the building-block precursors of macromolecules
- Assemble the building blocks into proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, lipids, membranes, and other complex components of cells
What are the advantages of multienzyme complexes and why does this occur?
- Speed of reactions are high
- Fidelity of reactions
- Why does this occur: The product of reactions become substrates of the next enxymatic reaction. These are close in proximity
Define free energy (ΔG) and how in integrates equlibrium and driving force.
What do negative and positive values of ΔG indicate?
What is the equation?
- The “Free Energy” for a reaction under any conditions is a measure of how far from equilibrium the reaction is.
- The farther away the reaction is from equilibrium, the greater the driving force is.
- -ve drives reactions forward
- +ve drives reactions backward
- ΔG = ΔH - TΔS
What produces free energy (ΔG) and where is this energy placed?
- Oxidative degradation of fuel molecules liberates a large amount of free energy (ΔG)
- Much of the free energy derived from these reactions is transferred into high-energy phosphate bonds (e.g. ATP)
How does the transfer of ATP occur (two methods)?
This transfer of energy to ATP occurs either:
- Directly: coupling of reactions to phosphorylation of ADP (substrate level phosphorylation), or
- Indirectly: via electron carrier molecules (NAD, FAD), which transfer electrons to O2 to synthesize ATP (oxidative phosphorylation)
What type of carrier is NAD+ and what does it accept?
- Coenzyme
- It accepts 2 electrons and 1 proton
What type of carrier is FAD and what does it accept?
- Prosthetic group
- accepts two electrons and two protons
What type of carrier is Coenzyme A and what does it accept?
- coenzyme
- accepts an acyl group
How does ATP transfer energy?
- breaks phosphate bonds
Compare and contrast enzyme-limited reactions and susbtrate-limited reactions.
- Enzyme-limited reactions
- Have an activation energy that needs to be overcome
- More enzyme means more reaction while less enzyme would cause less reaction (due to saturation)
- Steeply -ΔG means that the reaction is driven forward and irreversible meaning that the reaction is enzyme limited
- Substrate-driven reactions
- The concentration of the product and reactants drives the reaction.
- When the ΔG is close to zero, the reaction is usually substrate-driven (i.e. more reactants would cause the reaction to yield more products)
What are the six principles of the pathways by which cells extract and utilize energy?
- All pathways proceed with a loss of free energy
- Pathways are usually reversible although they frequently contain one or more “irreversible” steps
- Pathways in opposite directions involve certain different enzymes and/or intermediates (usually to circumvent irreversible steps)
- Key pathways may be separated in different subcellular compartments
- Compartment boundaries or cell membranes may permit the facilitated transport of key intermediates
- Regulation usually occurs at initial committing and/or irreversible steps in pathways
What is an epimer and what are two epimers of glucose?
- Epimer: different configuration of hydroxyl groups around chiral carbon
- Two epimers of glucose: Manose and Galactose
How does cyclization of glucose work?
- The acetyl group of the sugar attaches to the 5th reducing anomeric carbon
- This exposes the reducing side chains
What monosaccharides is maltose made of and is it a reducing or nonreducing sugar?
- 2 Glucose molecules (1,4)
- Reducing sugar (an anomeric carbon is available to make a glycosydic linkage)
What monosaccharides is lactose made of and is it a reducing or nonreducing sugar?
- galactose and glucose (1,4)
- reducing sugar (one anomeric carbon available)
What monosaccharides is sucrose made of and is it a reducing or nonreducing sugar?
- fructose and glucose (1,2)
- non-reducing (both anomeric carbons are involved in glycosidic linkage)
What do aldoses and ketoses look like?

What is a reducing sugar and a non reducing sugar?
- Reducing sugar: has an anomeric carbon available to make a glycosidic bond
- Non-reducing sugar: does not have an anomeric carbon available to make a glycosydic bond (both are being used in another glycosydic bond already)
How can you identify an anomeric carbon in a carbohydrate?
Find the carbon with two oxygens binded to it.
How is a glycosydic bond formed?

What is used for energy storage of glucose?
- Glycogen and starch (formed from many, many glucose molecules)
- Many, many non-reducing ends where enzymes add or remove residues
- only ONE reducing end
How are sugars digested and absorbed? What molecule do they need to be catabolized to?
- All sugars are reduced to monosaccharides
- This allows for transport across a membrane (dissaccharides cannot be transported)


