Carbohydrates Flashcards
What are the main functions of carbohydrates in the human body?
- Store of Potential energy
- Structural and protective
- Contribute to cell-cell communication
What are the three main monosaccharides in our diet?
Glucose
Fructose
Galactose
What are the three main disaccharides in our diet?
Lactose
Maltose
Sucrose
What are disaccharides?
Two sugar monomers linked by a glycosidic bond.
What two glucose polymers are constituents of starch?
Amylose and Amylopectin
What is the difference between amylose and amylopectin?
Amylose is a straight chain molecule with only alpha 1-4 glycosidic bonds
Amylopectin is branched and so contains alpha 1-4 and alpha 1-6 glycosidic bonds. It has a more compact structure
How is glucose absorbed into the blood?
Na-Glucose transporter is used to transport 2 sodium ions and 1 glucose molecule from the extracellular space into the epithelial cell. This is driven by high extracellular [Na].
Na+/K+ ATPase is used to pump 3 NA+ out of the cell for every 2 K+ pumped in. This maintains high extracellular [Na]
Glucose uniporter allows downhill efflux of glucose into the blood stream.
Describe the structure of glycogen?
Glucose monomers linked by alpha 1-4 or alpha 1-6 glycosidic bonds to create a more extensively branched structure than starch.
Why is glucose stored as polymers in the body?
- It is more compact
- Non-reducing ends can be readily synthesised or degraded to be used as an energy source on immediate demand.
- Starch is not soluble and so does not upset the osmotic balance
What is the difference between proteoglycans and glycoproteins?
Proteoglycans have a greater carbohydrate than protein content.
Glycoproteins have a greater protein than carbohydrate content.
What two enzymes are used to catalyse the phosphorylation of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate?
Hexokinase and Glucokinase
How do glucokinase and hexokinase differ in their activities?
Hexokinase operates in the cells of the body. It has a low Km and Vmax and so will operate even at very low [Glc]
Glucokinase operates in the cells of the liver. It has a high Vmax and Km and so has very fast activity but will only operate when [glc] is high.
How is glycogen synthesised?
- Glucose from uracil diphosphate-glucose is bound by glycogenin
- Glycogen synthase takes over and extends the glucose chain
- Glycogen branching enzymes break bits off the chain and reattach them as branches using alpha 1-6 glycosidic bonds.
How is glycogen degraded?
- Glycogen phosphorylase removes glucose monomers one at a time to form glucose-1-phosphate
- Transferase activity of debranching enzymes removes branches and reattches them by 1-4 glycosidic bonding to the nearest non-reducing end.
- Leaves unbranched chain for further degradation.
Which three glycolysis reactions are non-reversible?
1) Phosphorylation of glucose (1)
2) Phosphorylation of fructose-6-phosphate (3)
3) Conversion of PEP to Pyruvate (creates ATP) (10)
What catalyst is used in the conversion of glucose-6-phosphate to fructose-6-phosphate?
Phosphohexose isomerase
What reaction does phosphofructokinase catalyse?
Conversion of Fructose-6-phosphate to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate
What catalyst is used to cleave the fructose-1,6-bisphosphate in glycolysis?
Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase
What are the products of cleavage of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate in glycolysis, and which product is useful?
Dihydroxyacetone phosphate
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (useful product)
What catalyst is used to convert dihydroxyacetone phosphate into glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate in glycolysis?
Triosephosphate isomerase