Carbohydrate metabolism (midterm) Flashcards
What is the name of the class of enzymes that digest glycosidic bonds?
Glycosidases (glycoside hydrolases)
How are carbohydrates digested in the mouth?
Salivary α-amylase hydrolyzes random α(1→4) bonds in dietary starch and glycogen, producing oligosaccharides known as dextrins
How are carbohydrates digested in the duodenum?
Pancreatic α-amylase hydrolyzes glycosidic bonds, similarly to salivary α-amylase
What are examples of enzymes of the upper jejunal mucosal lining (brush border) that digest carbohydrates?
- Isomaltase: digests isomaltose; α(1→6)
- Maltase: digests maltose; α(1→4)
- Sucrase: digests sucrose; α(1→2)
- Lactase: digests lactose; β(1→4)
- Trehalase: digests trehalose (a Glc disaccharide found in fungi); α(1→1)
- Glucoamylase (exoglycosidase): digests starch; α(1→6) and α(1→4)
What is the structure of isomaltose?
Glc-α(1→6)-Glc
What is the structure of trehalose?
Glc-α(1→1)-Glc
What are the structural features of the sucrase–isomaltase complex?
- Transmembrane protein with a single transmembrane α-helix
- Glycosylated
- Two luminal subunits: a sucrase and an isomaltase–maltase
- The two subunits are held together by noncovalent interactions
What is the function of the sucrase–isomaltase complex?
- About 100% of intestinal sucrase activity
- Almost all of intestinal α(1→6) hydrolysis
- 80% of intestinal maltase activity
What are the causes of sucrase–isomaltase complex deficiency?
- Genetics
- Variety of intestinal diseases (e.g. Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease)
- Malnutrition
- Injury of the mucosa (e.g. by chemotherapy)
- Severe diarrhea
What is the result of sucrase–isomaltase complex deficiency?
Intolerance of ingested sucrose
How is sucrase–isomaltase complex deficiency treated?
- Dietary restriction of sucrose
- Enzyme replacement therapy
What are the structural features of glucoamylase (exoglycosidase)?
- Transmembrane protein
- Forms two domains: a maltase and an exoglycosidase
- There is no split of subunits, as in the sucrase–isomaltase complex
What is the function of glucoamylase (exoglycosidase)?
- Maltase activity
- Exoglycosidase activity
What intestinal enzyme digests isomaltose?
Isomaltase (in the sucrase–isomaltase complex)
What intestinal enzymes digest maltose?
- Maltase in the sucrase–isomaltase complex
- Maltase in glucoamylase (exoglycosidase)
What intestinal enzyme digests sucrose?
Sucrase (in the sucrase–isomaltase complex)
What intestinal enzyme digests lactose?
Lactase
What intestinal enzyme digests trehalose?
Trehalase
What is the structure of lactose?
Gal-β(1→4)-Glc
What is the structure of sucrose?
Glc-β(1→2)-Frc
What is the prevalance and distribution of lactose intolerance?
- More than 75% of the world’s population are lactose intolerant
- Up to 90% of African and Asian adults are lactase-deficient
What is thought to be the cause of lactose intolerance?
Small variations in the DNA sequence on chromosome 2 that controls expression of the lactase gene
When does lactose intolerance usually begin?
Ages 5–7, leading to lactose levels 10% of those in infants
How are carbohydrates absorbed into the intestinal mucosa?
- Sodium-independent facilitated diffusion (GLUT carriers)
- Sodium-dependent cotransporters (SGLTs)
In what direction do GLUT transporters move glucose?
Either direction, depending on the concentration gradient
In intestinal mucosae, the transport is generally from the lumen to the cytosol
Where is GLUT 1 found?
- RBCs
- Blood–brain barrier
- Blood–retinal barrier
- Blood–placental barrier
- Blood–testis barrier
What are the functional features of GLUT 1?
- High affinity, low efficiency
- Low Km
- Low Vmax
Where is GLUT 2 found?
- Liver
- Kidney
- Pancreatic β-cells
- Serosal surface of intestinal mucosal cells
What are the functional features of GLUT 2?
- Low affinity
- High efficiency
Where is GLUT 3 found?
- Neurons of the brain
What are the functional features of GLUT 3?
- Major transporter in the CNS
- High affinity
Where is GLUT 4 found?
- Adipose tissue
- Skeletal muscle
- Heart muscle
What are the functional features of GLUT 4?
- High efficiency
- Sensitive to insulin: ↑insulin leads to increase in number of GLUT 4 transporters on the cell surface
Where is GLUT 5 found?
- Intestinal epithelium
- Spermatozoa
What does GLUT 5 transport?
Fructose
What does GLUT 2 transport?
- Glucose
- Fructose
- Galactose
Which GLUT carriers transport sugars other than glucose?
- GLUT 2: Glc, Frc, Gal
- GLUT 5: Frc only
Where is GLUT 7 found?
Glucogenic tissues (tissues where gluconeogenesis occurs)—in the ER membrane
How do GLUT proteins function?
- Facilitated (saturable) diffusion of glucose
- They alter between two conformational states (open to the cytosol or open to the outside)
Which GLUT carrier is sensitive to insulin?
GLUT 4
Where are sodium-dependent glucose transporters (SGLTs) found?
- Proximal convoluted tubules of nephrons
- Small intestine mucosa
How do SGLTs function?
Secondary active transport (cotransport) of glucose using the concentration gradient of Na+
What is the structure of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (A)?
- Two catalytic subunits
- Two regulatory subunits
How does protein kinase A respond to cAMP?
- cAMP molecules bind to the 2 binding sites on each regulatory subunit
- The two catalytic subunits are activated and released (separately)
How many reactions are there in glycolysis?
10
What are the net products of glycolysis (per molecule of glucose)?
- 2 ATP
- 2 NADH
- 2 pyruvate
What is step 1 of glycolysis?
glucose + ATP → glucose-6-phosphate + ADP
Catalyzed by hexokinase or glucokinase
What are the irreversible steps of glycolysis?
- Step 1 (glucose phosphorylation)
- Step 3 (fructose-6P phosphorylation)
- Step 10 (pyruvate formation)
What are the isozymes that catalyze the first step of glycolysis?
- Hexokinase: found in most tissues. Low Km, low Vmax. Allosterically regulated
- Glucokinase: found in hepatocytes and pancreatic β cells. Higher Km, very high Vmax. Hormonally regulated
What are the features of hexokinase?
- Found in most tissues
- Broad substrate specificity: it can phosphorylate other hexoses
- Low Km, allowing for some activity at low [glucose]
- Low Vmax, so it cannot trap more glucose than the cell needs
- Affected by feedback inhibition
What are the features of glucokinase?
- Found in hepatocytes and pancreatic β cells
- Specific to glucose
- Higher Km: it only functions at > 100 mg dL–1
- Very high Vmax, so it sequesters glucose in the cell
- Activity induced by presence of glucose or insulin
What is step 2 of glycolysis?
glucose-6-phosphate ⇌ fructose-6-phosphate
Catalyzed by phosphoglucose isomerase
What is step 3 of glycolysis?
fructose-6-phosphate + ATP → fructose-1,6-bisphosphate + ADP
Catalyzed by phosphofructokinase-1
What is the committed step of glycolysis?
Step 3 (fructose-6P phosphorylation)
What is the rate-determining (slow) step of glycolysis?
Step 3 (fructose-6P phosphorylation)
What is step 4 of glycolysis?
glucose-6-phosphate ⇌ glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate + dihydroxyacetone phosphate
Catalyzed by aldolase
What is step 5 of glycolysis?
dihydroxyacetone phosphate ⇌ glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
Catalyzed by triose phosphate isomerase
The reaction interconverting dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate is reversible. What ensures that GAP is formed?
GAP is consumed by the later steps of glycolysis, pulling the equilibrium in favor of its production
What is step 6 of glycolysis?
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate + Pi + NAD+ + 2H+ ⇌ 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate + NADH + H+
Catalyzed by glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
In step 6 of glycolysis, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate is phosphorylated to 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate, but no ATP (or other NTP) is consumed. How does this take place?
The oxidation of glyceraldehyde to glycerate releases enough energy for the addition of a phosphate
What is the fate of the 2 NADH produced in glycolysis
- Used for cellular metabolism (including the glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle)
- “Transported” to the mitochondria via the malate–aspartate shuttle
What is step 7 of glycolysis?
1,3-bisphosphoglycerate + ADP + Pi ⇌ 3-phosphoglycerate + ATP
Catalyzed by phosphoglycerate kinase