Bioenergetics & Regulation of Metabolism Flashcards
Open Systems
- systems that can exchange both energy and matter with the environment
- biological systems are often considered this
Closed Systems
- systems that do not exchange matter with the environment
- cellular or subcellular systems are this
- change in internal energy can come only in the form of work or heat
Internal Energy
- the sum of all the different interactions between and within atoms in a system
- includes: vibration, rotation, linear motion, stored chemical energies
Bioenergetics
- used to describe energy states in biological systems
- ATP plays a crucial role in transferring energy from energy-releasing catabolic processes to energy-requiring anabolic processes
GIbbs Free Energy
- ΔG
- determines whether or not a chemical reaction is favorable and will occur
Enthalpy
- ΔH
- measures overall change in heat of a system during a reaction
Entropy
- ΔS
- measures the degree of disorder or energy dispersion in a system
- units: J/K
At constant ____ and ____, enthalpy and thermodynamic heat exchange (Q) are equal
pressure and volume
GIbbs Free Energy Equation
ΔG = ΔH - TΔS
What does a -ΔG indicate?
- spontaneous reaction that proceeds in the forward direction
- has a net loss of energy
What does a +ΔG indicate?
- nonspontaneous reactions that would be spontaneous if they proceeded in the reverse direction
- has a net gain of energy
What happens when ΔG approaches zero?
occurs when the reaction proceeds to equilibrium and there is no net change in concentration of reactants or products
Standard Free Energy (ΔG°)
- the energy change that occurs at standard concentrations of 1M, pressure of 1 atm, and temperature of 25°C
- equation: ΔG = ΔG° + RT ln(Q)
List the following in order of highest to lowest energy when combusted: proteins, carbs, ketones, fats
fats > carbs = proteins = ketones
ATP
- major energy currency in body
- formed from substrate-level phosphorylation as well as oxidative phosphorylation
- mid-level energy carrier – because it can’t get back the ‘leftover’ free energy after a reaction
- used to fuel energetically unfavorable reactions, or to activate or inactivate other molecules
- mostly produced by mitochondrial ATP Synthase
- consumed through hydrolysis or the transfer of a phosphate group to another molecule
How much energy does ATP provided under normal physiological conditions?
30 kJ/mol
Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP)
produced when one phosphate group is removed from ATP
Adenosine Monophosphate (AMP)
produced when two phosphate groups are removed from ATP
Why is ATP such a good energy carrier?
its high-energy phosphate bonds and presence of a significant charge
What are some characteristics of a long-term storage molecule?
energy density and stable, nonrepulsive bonds, primarily seen in lipids
ATP Cleavage
transfer of a high-energy phosphate group from ATP to another molecule
How do you determine the free energy of a phosphoryl group transfer to another biological molecule?
use Hess’s Law to calculate the difference in free energy between the reactants and products
How does coupling with ATP Hydrolysis alter the energies of a reaction?
ATP hydrolysis yields about 30 kJ/mol of energy which can be harnessed to drive other reactions forward; this may allow a nonspontaneous reaction to occur or increase the rate of a spontaneous reaction
How do you determine the number of electrons being transferred?
half-reactions
-divide oxidation-reduction reactions into their half-reaction components
What molecules in the cytoplasm act as high-energy electron carriers?
NADH, NADPH, FADH2, UQ, cytochrome, glutathione
Flavoproteins
- nucleic acid derivatives that contain a modified vitamin B2 (or riboflavin)
- generally either Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD) or Flavin Mononucleotide (FMN)
- present in the mitochondria and chloroplasts as electron carriers
- also involved in modification of other B Vitamins to active forms
- function as coenzymes for enzymes in the oxidation of fatty acids, the decarboxylation of pyruvate, and reduction of glutathione
Homeostasis
physiological tendency toward a relatively stable state that is maintained and adjusted, often with the expenditure of energy
Anabolism
synthesis of biomolecules when there is sufficient energy
Catabolism
breakdown of biomolecules for energy
Postprandial (Absorptive) State
- well-fed state
- occurs shortly after eating
- marked by greater anabolism and fuel storage
- lasts 3-5 hours after eating a meal
- in the liver: glucose is stored as glycogen (glycogenesis) or converted to triacylglycerols and fatty acids that are converted into VLDL for exportation into blood because liver can’t store triglycerides
- in adipose tissue: glucose is turned into triglycerides and stored as fat, VLDL from liver are turned into fatty acids then stored as fat
- in muscle: glucose is converted to glycogen (glycogenesis), or is converted to pyruvate to convert to ATP so muscle has reusable energy, amino acids stored as protein
- in the brain: glucose from blood is converted to pyruvate and undergoes cellular respiration to produce ATP
What is the only fatty acid the body can synthesize on its own?
Palmitate