case 5 - liver function Flashcards
where does the liver receive blood from
via the portal vein, receives blood from the spleen, and most of the GI tract
what does the liver respond to
insulin and glucagon
what does glycogenolysis do
makes glucose available in the fasting state
what is glycogenolysis promoted by
glucagon the hormone
what does gluconeogenesis produce
glucose from scraps and makes it available in the fasting state
what is gluconeogenesis promoted by
glucagon
what is ketogenesis
the use of acetyl-CoA to produce emergency fuel
what is this emergency fuel
ketone bodies
what is ketogenesis promoted by
the surplus of mobilised fatty acids in starvation or T1D
when does ketogenesis run
in the fasting state
what are the ketone bodies
acetoacetate and hydroxybutyrate
what does glycogenesis do
absorbs surplus of dietary glucose and stores as glycogen
what is glycogenesis driven by
high blood glucose
when does glycogenesis run
in the healthy state
what does fatty acid biosynthesis use
surplus carbon substrate to produce FA for delivery to adipose tisse
what is fatty acid biosynthesis promoted by
insulin and high cellular energy levels - ATP
what is fatty acid biosynthesis supressed by
glucagon
what does amino acid metabolism result in
the production of gluconeogenesis precursors
what are the precusors for gluconeogenesis
ketoglutaraten and oxaloacetate
when does the liver take up glucose
only at high glucose levels and uses some of it to produce glycogen
what happens to the rest of the glucose
degraded into acetyl-CoA first and then into fatty acids and triacylglycerols to deliver to adipose tossie
how does the liver produce and then release glucose into the blood stream in the fasting stat
It does this by breaking down glycogen and later by dementating amino acids to produce building blocks for gluconeogenesis
what does the hydrolysis of triacylcylcerols release
fatty acids that can be broken into acetyl-CoA
can acetyl-CoA ever be turned back into glucose
no
what is acetyl-CoA’s contiribution to fasting metabolism
via the production of ketone bodies
what is at the heart of carbohydrate metabolism
glycolysis
what does glycolysis do
catabolism (breaking down) of glucose (and most other carbohydrates via glucose) in all tissues
Generation of intermediates for other pathways
Generation of energy and (in aerobic conditions) by reducing equivalents
what is the end product dependent on
oxygen -produces pyruvate under aerobic conditions and lactate under anaerobic conditions
what facilitates the diffusion of glucose into cells
the family of glucose transporters - GLUT
where is GLUT4 specific for
adipose tissue
where is GLUT2 specific for
the liver
what can GLUT2 facilitate
both glucose entry into the liver cells and exit
what does phosphorylation do
traps glucose in the cell because the ionic phosphate cannot cross the membrane spontaneously
what is this phosphorylation catalysed by
enzym hexokinase
when are the enzyme variants in more tissues fully active
at low concetrations of glucose
what has a much higher capacity to trap glucose in the liver and when
Hexokinase-IV or glucokinase, in the liver has a much higher capacity to trap glucose in the liver, but only when glucose concentrations are high - especially after a meal
describe the steps in glycolysis
glucose 6-P is isomerised to fructose-6-P
F-6-P is phosphorylated again to yield F-1,6-BP in the most critical regulated step
this phosphorylation commits the molecule for further degradation
So this is something to be avoided in the fasting state when we want to preserve glucose
The next steps up to PEP are fully reversible
The energy from burning glucose as fuel depends on oxidation, but glycolysis is only the preparation for that
In the only oxidative step of glycolysis, GA-3P is converted into 1,3-BPG,
NADH + H+ generated in this oxidative step can be regenerated under anaerobic conditions by reducing pyruvate to lactate
The liver can re-oxidise lactate to pyruvate
Accounting for the investment of 2 ATP per molecule glucose early on, there is a net generation of 2 ATP per glucose in glycolysis
what is the Warburg effect
Compare 2 vs 28 ATP excessive glucose consumption of tumours. Aerobic glycolysis is inefficient but fast
what is glucose greatly preferred for
Glucose is greatly preferred as energy source by brain and nervous tissue, and essential for the adrenal medulla, testes and mature erythrocytes
the liver is the main tissue in performing what two maintenance mechanisms
gluconeogensis and glycogenesis
what is glycogen
is a highly branched, all glucose poly-saccharide with an alpha 1,4 linked backbone and alpha-1,6 linked branches
Is the storage form of glucose, mainly in skeletal muscle and liver
what is glycogen synthesised
after a meal and degradation during an over night fast as key mechanisms that maintain blood glucose levels
what is glycogen synthesis regulated by
glucagon
what is glycogen metabolism controlled by
glucagon and insulin
what does glucagon trigger
the production of cAMP in cells, which in turn activates protein kinase A -PKA
what does PKA do
phosphorylates glycogen synthase directly, and glycogen phosphorylase via phosphorylase kinase
what does glucagon do
promotes glycogenolysis and inhibits glycogenesis
what does phosphorylation have
Phosphorylation has opposite effects on the two enzymes: glycogen synthase becomes inactive, while glycogen phosphorylase is activated by phosphorylation