3B More Exchange and Transport Systems Flashcards
How is food broken down in the body?
It is broken down into smaller molecules by digestion
Why do large biological molecules have to be broken down?
They’re too big to cross cell membranes, this means they can’t be absorbed from the gut into the blood
When large biological molecules are broken down what does this allow?
They are broken down into smaller molecules which can move across membranes
They can easily be transported from the blood to the gut & transported around the body for cell use
How are most large biological molecules broken down and how does this relate to their structure?
Hydrolysis reactions
Most large biological molecules are polymers therefore they can be broken down into monomers via hydrolysis reactions
What are carbohydrates broken down into using hydrolysis?
Disaccharides and then monosaccharides
What are fats broken down into using hydrolysis?
Fatty acids and monoglycerides
What are proteins broken down into using hydrolysis?
Amino acids
How is the variety of digestive enzymes produced?
Specialised cells in the digestive system produce the variety
What breaks down carbohydrates?
Amylase and Membrane-Bound Disaccharides
What is amylase?
A digestive enzyme that catalyses the conversion of starch into the smaller sugar (a disaccharide)
How does amylase break down carbohydrates?
The hydrolysis of the glycosidic bonds in starch
Where is amylase produced?
The salivary glands - release amylase in the mouth
The pancreas - releases amylase into the small intestine
What are membrane-bound disaccharides?
They’re enzymes that are attached to the cell membrane of epithelial cells lining the ileum
Where are membrane-bound disaccharides attached to?
The cell membranes of epithelial cells lining the ileum
What do membrane bound-disaccharides help to break down?
Disaccharides (i.e. maltose, sucrose and lactose) into monosaccharides (i.e. glucose, fructose and galactose)
How do membrane bound-disaccharides break down disaccharides?
The hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds
How are monosaccharides transported across the ileum?
relating to membrane-bound disaccharides
Transported across the cell membranes of the ileum epithelial cells via specific transported proteins
How are lipids broken down?
By lipase with the help of bile salts
What does lipase break lipids down into?
It catalyses the breakdown of lipids into monoglycerides & fatty acids
How does lipase break down lipids?
By the hydrolysis of the ester bonds in lipids
Where are lipases made?
In the pancreas
Where do lipases work?
In the small intestine
Where are bile salts produced?
In the liver
What is the role of bile salts?
They emulsify lipids - this means they can cause lipids to form small droplets
How do bile salts aid the process of lipid digestion?
Several small lipid droplets have a bigger SA than a single large droplet
Formation of droplets greatly increases the SA of lipid available for lipases to work on
What are micelles?
Once the lipid has been broken down, the monoglycerides & fatty acids stick with the bile salts - this forms the tiny structures called micelles
What is formed by the breakdown of small lipid droplets?
Micelles
What are proteins broken down by?
Peptidases (proteases)
What are the two types of peptidases called?
- Endopeptidases
- Exopeptidases
What do endopeptidases do?
Hydrolyse peptide bonds within a protein
Give 3 examples of endopeptidases
- Trypsin
- Chymotrypsin
- Pepsin
Where are Trypsin and Chymotrypsin produced and secreted?
Produced: In the pancreas
Secreted: Into the small intestine
Where is pepsin released?
Into the stomach by cells in the stomach lining
What conditions does pepsin work best in and how are these conditions provided?
Pepsin works best in acidic conditions - these conditions are provided by hydrochloric acid in the stomach
What do exopeptidases do?
Hydrolyse peptide bonds at the ends of protein molecules
They remove single amino acids from proteins
What are dipeptidases?
They are exopeptidases that work specifically on dipeptides
What do dipeptidases do?
They act to separate 2 amino acids that make up a dipeptide by hydrolysing the peptide bond between them
Where are dipeptidases often located?
In the cell surface membrane of epithelial cells in the small intestine
Where are the products of digestion absorbed?
Across the ileum epithelium into the bloodstream
How is glucose absorbed across the ileum?
By active transport with sodium ions via a co-transporter protein
How is galactose absorbed across the ileum?
By active transport with sodium ions via a co-transporter protein
How is fructose absorbed across the ileum?
Via facilitated diffusion through a different transporter protein
What do micelles do?
They help to move monoglycerides & fatty acids towards the epithelium
How do micelles “release” monoglycerides?
Micelles constantly break up and reform so they can “release” monoglycerides and fatty acids - this allows them to be absorbed
Can micelles be taken up across the epithelium?
Whole micelles cannot be taken up across the epithelium
How are monoglycerides and fatty acids transported across the epithelium?
They are lipid-soluble so they can diffuse across the epithelial cell membrane
How are amino acids absorbed across the ileum?
Via co-transport - similar to glucose and galactose
How is oxygen transported around the body?
By haemoglobin - contained in red blood cells
What is haemoglobin?
A large protein with a quaternary structure - made up of more than one polypeptide chain
What is contained in each chain in haemoglobin?
Each chain has a haem group - this contains an iron ion this gives haemoglobin its red colour
What does affinity mean?
Tendency to combine with
What is haemoglobins affinity to oxygen like?
It has a high affinity for oxygen
How many molecules of oxygen can each haemoglobin molecule carry?
4
What is formed by oxygen and haemoglobin joining?
Oxyhaemoglobin
Can the reaction to form oxyhaemoglobin be reversed?
Yes it is a reversible reaction - oxygen can dissociate from it and it will turn back to haemoglobin
Which animals is haemoglobin found in?
- All vertebrates
- Earthworms
- Starfish
- Some insects
- Some plants
- Some bacteria
What does haemoglobin saturation depend on?
The partial pressure of oxygen
What is the partial pressure of oxygen?
The measure of oxygen conc.
The greater the conc. of dissolved oxygen in calls, the higher the partial pressure
What is the partial pressure of carbon dioxide?
The measure of the conc. of CO2
What does haemoglobins affinity to oxygen vary with?
It depends on the partial pressure of oxygen
When there is a high pO2, what does oxygen do?
Oxygen loads onto haemoglobin to form oxyhaemoglobin when there’s a high pO2
What happens to oxygen when there is a low pO2?
Oxyhaemoglobin unloads its oxygen where there’s a lower pO2
Explain how oxygen is picked up and dropped off at cells
- Oxygen enters blood capillaries at the alveoli in the lungs
- Alveoli have a high pO2 so oxygen loads onto haemoglobin to form oxyhaemoglobin
- When cells respire, they use up oxygen - this lowers pO2
- RBCs deliver oxyhaemoglobin to respiring tissues where it unloads oxygen
- The haemoglobin then returns to the lungs to pick up more oxygen
What do oxygen dissociation curves show?
How affinity for oxygen varies
It shows how saturated the haemoglobin is with oxygen at any given partial pressure
What does 100% saturation on the oxygen dissociation curve mean?
Means every haemoglobin molecule is carrying the max of 4 molecules of oxygen
What does 0% saturation on the oxygen dissociation curve mean?
Means none of the haemoglobin molecules are carrying any oxygen
Why do RBCs drop off oxygen at cells?
When the conc. of oxygen is low, hemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen is low therefore the haemoglobin releases the oxygen rather than combining with it
Why is the oxygen dissociation curve ‘S-shaped’?
Because when haemoglobin (Hb) combines with the first O2 molecule, its shape alters in a way that makes it easier for other molecules to join
As the Hb becomes saturated it gets harder for more oxygen molecules to join
Due to this it has a steep curve in the middle and shallower bits at the start and end
What happens when the first oxygen molecule attaches to haemoglobin in a RBC?
It’s shape alters in a way that makes it easier for the other molecules to join
What happens after the third oxygen joins to the haemoglobin in a RBC?
The haemoglobin becomes saturated, this makes it harder for more oxygen molecules to join
How does CO2 affect haemoglobin carrying O2?
It affects the unloading of oxygen - the higher the partial pressure of CO2, the more readily hemoglobin gives up its O2
How do cells raise the conc. of CO2?
When cells respire they produce CO2, this raises the pCO2 (partial pressure of CO2)
How does increased pCO2 affect the oxygen dissociation curve?
Increased pCO2 increases the rate of oxygen unloading - so the dissociation curve shifts right
What is the Bohr effect?
The raised pCO2 increases the rate of oxygen unloading so the dissociation curve shifts right
The saturation of blood with O2 is lower for a given pO2, meaning that more oxygen is being released
Why do different animals have different types of haemoglobin?
They have different types of haemoglobin with different oxygen transporting capacities
The different types of Hb are adapted to help the organism survive in particular environments
What is the haemoglobin like in animals who live in environments with a low conc. of oxygen?
They have haemoglobin with a higher affinity for oxygen than human haemoglobin - the curve shifts to the left
What is the haemoglobin like in animals who have a high demand for oxygen?
Animals who are very active or who have a high demand for oxygen
They haemoglobin has a lower affinity for oxygen than human haemoglobin - the curve shifts to the right
Why do we need the circulatory system?
Multicellular organisms like mammals have a low SA to volume ratio - they need a special transport system to carry and exchange raw materials to our body cells
What is the circulatory system made up of?
It is made up of the heart and blood vessels
What does blood transport?
Respiratory gases, products of digestion, metabolic wastes and hormones round the body
Where do the two loops of the respiratory system go?
- One takes one from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart
- The other loop takes blood around the rest of the body
How does the heart have its own bloody supply?
Through the left and right coronary arteries
Where does the renal artery go?
From the heart to the kidneys
Where does the renal vein go?
From the kidneys to the heart
Where does the hepatic vein go?
From the liver and the gut to heart
Where does the hepatic artery go?
From the heart to the liver
Where does the hepatic portal vein go?
From the heart to the gut
What are the artery walls like?
They are thick and muscular & have elastic tissue to stretch and recoil as the heart beats which helps maintain the high pressure
What helps the artery to stretch?
The inner lining (endothelium) is folded, allowing the artery to stretch
This also helps it to maintain high pressure
What sort of bloody do arteries carry?
They carry oxygenated blood - except for the pulmonary arteries which take deoxygenated blood to the lungs