3B - More Exchange And Transport Systems Flashcards
What is digestion?
The process by which large food molecules are broken down into smaller molecules so that they can be absorbed into the from the gut into blood.
Why must digestion happen?
Large food molecules are too big to cross cell membranes, so they cannot be absorbed from the gut into the blood.
What type of reaction is digestion?
Usually hydrolysis.
What are carbohydrates broken down into in hydrolysis?
Disaccharides (and then monosaccharides)
What are fats broken down into in hydrolysis?
Fatty acids and monoglycerides
What are proteins broken down into in hydrolysis?
Amino acids
Why are there many different digestive enzymes?
Enzymes only work with a specific substrate and so different enzymes are needed to catalyse the breakdown of different food molecules.
Describe the digestion of starch in terms of products, bonds and enzymes.
- Starch broken down into maltose by amylase
- Glycosidic bond is hydrolysed
- Maltose broken down into two glucose molecules by maltase (a membrane-bound disaccharidase)
- Glycosidic bond is hydrolysed
Describe the digestion of carbohydrates in terms of products, bonds and enzymes.
STARCH
• Starch broken down into maltose by amylase
• Glycosidic bond is hydrolysed
DISACCHARIDES
• Disaccharides broken down into two monosaccharides by membrane-bound disaccharidases (e.g. sucrose by sucrase)
• Glycosidic bond is hydrolysed
What enzyme catalyses the breakdown of starch?
Amylase
Where is amylase produced and released?
- Salivary glands -> Released into mouth
* Pancreas -> Released into small intestine
What is the name for enzymes that catalyse the breakdown of disaccharides?
Membrane-bound disaccharidases
What are membrane-bound disaccharidases?
- Enzymes that are attached to the cell membranes of epithelial cells lining the ileum (small intestine).
- Break down disaccharides into monosaccharides.
Where are membrane-bound disaccharidases found?
Attached to the cell membranes of epithelial cells lining the ileum.
Describe the breakdown of maltose in terms of enzymes and products.
- Enzyme: Maltase
* Products: Glucose + Glucose
Describe the breakdown of sucrose in terms of enzymes and products.
- Enzyme: Sucrase
* Products: Glucose + Fructose
Describe the breakdown of lactose in terms of enzymes and products.
- Enzyme: Lactase
* Products: Glucose + Galactose
Describe the digestion of lipids in terms of products, bonds and enzymes (+ other substances).
- Bile salts emulsify lipid droplets to make smaller lipid droplets
- Lipids now broken down into monoglycerides and fatty acids by lipase
- Ester bond hydrolysed
- Monoglycerides and fatty acids stick with bile salts to form micelles
What enzyme catalyses the breakdown of lipids?
Lipase
Where is lipase produced and released?
• Pancreas -> Released into small intestine
What is a monoglyceride?
A glycerol molecule with one fatty acid attached.
Where are bile salts produced?
Liver
What do bile salts do and why?
- Emulsify lipids -> Several small lipid droplets have a bigger surface area than a single large droplet (for a given volume).
- This increases the SA for lipase to work on.
- Digestion happens faster.
Describe the digestion of proteins in terms of products, bonds and enzymes.
- Proteins are broken down into amino acids by proteases.
- Endopeptidases -> Hydrolyse peptide bonds within a protein.
- Exopeptidases -> Hydrolyse peptide bonds at the ends of a protein.
What is another name for a protease?
Peptidase
What are the two types of protease?
- Endopeptidases
* Exopeptidases
What enzyme catalyses the breakdown of proteins?
Proteases -> Endopeptidases and exopeptidases
What are endopeptidases?
Enzymes (proteases) that act to hydrolyse peptide bonds within a protein.
What are exopeptidases?
Enzymes (proteases) that act to hydrolyse peptide bonds at the end of a protein. They remove a single amino acids from proteins.
Give 3 examples of endopeptidases and where they are produced and released.
- Trypsin + chymotrypsin -> Produced in pancreas and released into small intestine.
- Pepsin -> Produced in stomach lining and released into the stomach
What type of enzyme is trypsin and where is it produced and secreted?
- Endopeptidase
- Produced: Pancreas
- Secreted: Small intestine
What type of enzyme is chymotrypsin and where is it produced and secreted?
- Endopeptidase
- Produced: Pancreas
- Secreted: Small intestine
What type of enzyme is pepsin and where is it produced and secreted?
- Endopeptidase
- Produced: Stomach lining
- Secreted: Stomach
In what conditions does pepsin work and why?
Acidic, because it is in the stomach with hydrochloric acid.
Give an example of exopeptidases and where it is found.
- Dipepeptidases
* Found: In the cell-surface membrane of epithelial cells in small intestine
What are dipeptidases?
- Exopeptidases that work specifically on dipeptides -> Separate two amino acids.
- Often located in the cell-surface membrane of epithelial cells in small intestine.
Where are the products of digestion absorbed?
Across the ileum epithelium into the bloodstream.
Describe how monosaccharides are absorbed into the epithelial cells from the ileum lumen.
- Glucose + galactose -> Active transport with sodium ions via a co-transporter (see pg 43)
- Fructose -> Facilitated diffusion through a different transporter protein
Describe how monoglycerides and fatty acids are absorbed into the epithelial cells from the ileum lumen.
- Micelles constantly break up and reform, so they can “release” monoglycerides and fatty acids
- Monoglycerides and fatty acids are lipid-soluble, so they DIFFUSE across the epithelial cell membrane
- Micelles are NOT taken across the membrane
Are micelles taken across cell membranes?
No, they simply release their contents so that they can be absorbed.
Describe how amino acids are absorbed into the epithelial cells from the ileum lumen.
- Sodium ions are actively transported out of the epithelial cells into the ileum
- They then diffuse back through sodium-dependent transporter proteins, carrying amino acids with them
Through what type of transport protein are amino acids absorbed into epithelial cells from the ileum lumen?
Sodium-dependent transporter proteins
Describe how glucose is absorbed into epithelial cells from the ileum lumen.
Via a sodium-glucose co-transporter protein.
See pg 43
Describe how galactose is absorbed into epithelial cells from the ileum lumen.
Via a co-transporter protein with sodium.
Like glucose - see pg 43
Describe how fructose is absorbed into epithelial cells from the ileum lumen.
Facilitated diffusion via a (different) transporter protein.
Note: Check if the absorption of glucose vis co-transporter proteins is active transport.
Do it.
What carries oxygen around the body?
Haemoglobin in RBCs
What is the symbol for haemoglobin?
Hb
What is haemoglobin?
A large protein with a quaternary structure that carries oxygen around the body.
Describe the structure of haemoglobin.
- 4 polypeptide chains -> Quaternary structure
* Each chain has a haem group, which contains an iron ion
What gives haemoglobin its colour?
The iron ion in each chain
What does “affinity for oxygen” mean?
Tendency to combine with oxygen.
In general, what is the affinity for oxygen of haemoglobin?
High - it can carry 4 oxygen molecules.
What happens in the lungs to haemoglobin?
4 oxygens join onto each haemoglobin molecule to form oxyhaemoglobin.
Give the equation for haemoglobin joining with oxygen.
Hb + 4O2 HbO8
Haemoglobin + Oxygen Oxyhaemoglobin
What is the name for oxygen leaving oxyhaemoglobin?
Dissociation
In what organisms is haemoglobin found?
- All vertebrates
- Earthworms
- Starfish
- Some insects
- Some plants
- Some bacteria
Is haemoglobin the same in all organisms?
- There are many chemically similar types of haemoglobin
* All carry out same function
What determines the saturation of haemoglobin with oxygen?
The partial pressure of oxygen.
What is partial pressure of oxygen?
- A measure of oxygen concentration.
* The greater the concentration of dissolved oxygen in cells, the higher the partial pressure.
What is the symbol for partial pressure of oxygen?
pO2
What is the partial pressure of carbon dioxide?
A measure of concentration of CO2 in a cell.
Describe how haemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen changes with partial pressure of oxygen.
- High pO2 -> High affinity -> Oxyhaemoglobin formed
* Low pO2 -> Low affinity -> Oxyhaemoglobin dissociates
What happens to haemoglobin in the lungs and why?
- High pO2 in the alveoli
* So oxygen binds to haemoglobin to form oxyhaemoglobin
What happens to haemoglobin near cells and why?
- Cells respire, using up oxygen
- This lowers the pO2
- Oxyhaemoglobin dissociates into haemoglobin and oxygen
What graph can be used to show how haemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen changes with partial pressure of oxygen?
Dissociation curve
What does a dissociation curve for haemoglobin show?
How saturated the haemoglobin is with oxygen at any given partial pressure of oxygen.
What does 100% saturation of haemoglobin mean?
Each haemoglobin molecule is carrying the maximum of 4 molecules of oxygen.
What does 0% saturation of haemoglobin mean?
None of the haemoglobin molecules are carrying any oxygen.
Describe the shape of a dissociation curve for haemoglobin.
S-shaped from the origin to the top-right corner.
See diagram pg 68 of revision guide
Explain the shape of the dissociation curve for haemoglobin.
- Difficult for first O2 to join to haemoglobin -> Shallow gradient -> First part of “S”
- When haemoglobin combines with the first O2 molecule, it’s shape changes so that it’s easier for their molecules to join too -> Increasing gradient -> Middle part of “S”
- As haemoglobin becomes more saturated, it’s harder for more oxygen molecules to join -> Decreasing gradient
At which part of the dissociation curve is a small change in partial pressure most significant?
- Steep part
* Small change in partial pressure causes a big change in the amount of O2 carried by the Hb
What is the symbol for partial pressure of carbon dioxide?
pCO2
What factors affect the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen?
- Oxygen partial pressure
* Carbon dioxide pressure
How does the partial pressure of carbon dioxide affect the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen?
- High partial pressure of CO2 -> Low affinity for O2
* Low partial pressure of CO2 -> High affinity for O2
Explain how a high partial pressure of carbon dioxide affects the dissociation curve of haemoglobin and explain the implications of this.
Shifts it to the right -> For a given pO2, the saturation of haemoglobin with oxygen is lower -> More O2 released to cells
(See diagram pg 69 of revision guide)
Explain how the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen changes during exercise.
- Cells respire -> Produce carbon dioxide and raise the pCO2.
- The affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen decreases so the rate of oxygen unloading increases
- O2 is released for cells
- Dissociation curve shifts to the right
What is the Bohr effect?
The way in which partial pressure of carbon dioxide affects the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen and causes the dissociation curve to shift.
Compare the dissociation curve of the same haemoglobin at:
• 2.5 kPa CO2
• 11.5 kPa CO2
- 2.5 kPa CO2 -> More to the left
* 11.5 kPa CO2 -> More to the right
Which way does a high CO2 concentration shift the dissociation curve of haemoglobin?
Right
Why do different organisms have different types of haemoglobin?
As an adaptation to help the organism survive in a particular environment.
How many oxygen molecules can each haemoglobin molecule carry?
4 x O2 molecules
Explain the dissociation curve of an animal living in low oxygen conditions.
- To the left
- For a given pO2, the haemoglobin has a high affinity for oxygen and so the saturation is higher
- This allows the haemoglobin to pick up oxygen at low pO2 values (but is not good for efficient respiration)
Explain the dissociation curve of an active animal with high oxygen demand.
- To the right
- For a given pO2, the haemoglobin has a low affinity for oxygen and so the saturation is lower
- This allows the haemoglobin to release more oxygen at low pO2 values, so that more is supplied for respiration (but this is disadvantageous in low oxygen conditions)
Describe the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen in an animal living in a low-oxygen environment.
High affinity
Describe the affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen in an active animal (in a high-oxygen environment).
Lower affinity
How can you remember what is favoured by shifting the dissociation curve shape each way?
- Left = Lungs
* Right = Respiration
What does a far-left dissociation curve suggest about an organism?
It lives in a low-oxygen environment.
What does a far-right dissociation curve suggest about an organism?
It has a high respiratory rate (i.e. it is active) and lives in an oxygen-rich environment.
Remember to practice labelling the 4 dissociation curves on the bottom graph of pg 69.
Do it.
What is the circulatory system?
A mass transport system consisting of the heart and blood vessels used to carry materials between the exchange organs and body cells.
Why do multicellular organisms, like mammals, require a circulatory system?
They have a low surface area to volume ratio, so a specialist transport system is needed to carry raw materials from exchange organs to body cells.
What is the circulatory system made of?
- Heart
* Blood vessels
What are the types of blood vessel?
- Arteries
- Arterioles
- Veins
- Capillaries
What does blood transport around the body?
- Respiratory gases
- Products of digestion
- Metabolic wastes
- Hormones
Describe the two circulatory circuits.
1) From the heart to the lungs and back
2) From the heart to the rest of the body and back
What are the 4 vessels entering and leaving the heart?
- Vena cava
- Aorta
- Pulmonary artery
- Pulmonary vein
What vessel enters the right side of the heart?
Vena cava
What vessel leaves the right side of the heart?
Pulmonary artery
What vessel enters the left side of the heart?
Pulmonary vein
What vessel leaves the left side of the heart?
Aorta
What vessel enters the lungs?
Pulmonary artery
What vessel leaves the lungs?
Pulmonary vein
What vessel enters the kidneys?
Renal artery
What vessel leaves the kidneys?
Renal vein
What vessel enters the liver?
- Hepatic artery (from heart)
* Hepatic portal vein (from gut)
What vessel leaves the liver?
Hepatic vein
Which side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood?
Left
Which side of the heart pumps deoxygenated blood?
Right
What type of blood does the aorta carry and where?
Oxygenated blood from the heart to the body.
What type of blood does the vena cava carry and where?
Deoxygenated blood from the body to the heart.
What type of blood does the pulmonary vein carry and where?
Oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart.
What type of blood does the pulmonary artery carry and where?
Deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs.
What type of blood does the renal artery carry and where?
Oxygenated blood to the kidneys.
What type of blood does the renal vein carry and where?
Deoxygenated blood away from the kidneys.
What type of blood does the hepatic artery carry and where?
Oxygenated blood to the liver.
What type of blood does the hepatic portal vein carry and where?
Oxygenated blood from the gut to the liver.
What type of blood does the hepatic vein carry and where?
Deoxygenated blood away from the liver.
Describe the path of blood through the heart, lungs and kidneys, starting in the right atrium.
Right atrium -> Right ventricle -> Pulmonary artery -> Lungs -> Pulmonary vein -> Left atrium -> Left ventricle -> Aorta -> Renal artery -> Kidneys -> Renal vein -> Vena cava -> Right atrium
Remember to practise labelling the diagram of the circulatory system on pg 70.
Do it.
How does the heart supply itself with blood?
Through the coronary arteries.
How many coronary arteries are there?
2 -> The left and right coronary arteries.
Where do arteries carry blood?
Away from the heart.
What type of blood do arteries carry?
Oxygenated, except the pulmonary artery.
Explain the structure of an artery.
- Thick, muscular walls -> Withstand high pressure
- Elastic tissue in walls -> Stretch and recoil to maintain high pressure
- Endothelium (inner lining) is folded -> Allows artery to stretch
- Narrower lumen than veins -> Maintain high pressure
(See diagram pg 70 of revision guide)
What is the endothelium of a blood vessel?
The inner lining of the walls.
How do arteries maintain a high pressure as the heart beats?
- Elastic tissue in walls -> Recoils after heartbeat
* Folded endothelium