Ch. 10: Carbohydrate Metabolism II: Aerobic Respiration Flashcards
what are 2 other names for the citric acid cycle?
- Krebs cycle
- tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle
in what part of the cell does the TCA cycle occur?
the mitochondria
main func: TCA cycle
the oxidation of acetyl-CoA to CO2 and H2O
added func: TCA cycle
produces the high-energy electron-carrying molecules NADH and FADH2
from what 3 things can acetyl-CoA be obtained?
from the metabolism of carbohydrates, fatty acids, and amino acids
summary from Ch. 9 (2_: what happens to the product of glycolysis, pyruvate, after it enters the mitochondrion via active transport
- it is oxidized and decarboxylated
- these rxns are catalyzed by a multienzyme complex (pyruvate dehydrogenase complex), located in the mitochondrial matrix
what 5 enzymes make up the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex?
what do the first 3 work together to do? what do the last 2 do?
- pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH)
- dihydrolipoyl transacetylase
- dehydrolipoyl dehydrogenase
- pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase
- pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase
1-3: work together to convert pyruvate to acetyl-CoA
4-5: regulate the actions of PDH
is the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA endergonic or exergonic? + image of deltaGknot’
exergonic
diagram: overall reaction of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
what inhibits the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex?
an accumulation of acetyl-CoA and NADH that can occur if the electron transport chain
why is coenzyme A (CoA) sometimes written as CoA-SH?
because CoA is a thiol, containing an -SH group
how does acetyl-CoA form?
via covalent attachment of the acetyl group to the -SH group, resulting in the formation of a thioester, which contains sulfur instead of the typical oxygen ester -OR
why is the formation of a thioester during the formation of acetyl-CoA rather than typical ester worth noting?
because of the high-energy properties of thioesters
when a thioester undergoes a reaction such as hydrolysis, a significant amount of energy will be released, which can be enough to drive other reactions forward, like the TCA cycle
diagram: mechanism of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
what are 3 pathologies that are associated with a decrease in glucose metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation in the brain?
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Huntington’s disease
- alcoholism
decreased amounts of acetyl-CoA, leads to concerns of production of what 2 things?
- energy
- acetylcholine
sequential order of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex enzymes needed to catalyze acetyl-CoA formation
- Pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH)
- Dihydrolipoyl transacetylase
- Dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase
func: pyruvate dehydrogenase
pyruvate is oxidized, yielding CO2, while the remaining 2-C molecule binds covalently to thiamine pyrophosphate (vitamin B1, TPP)
Mg2+ is also required
defn + aka + relationship to PDH: thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP)
vitamin B1
a coenzyme held by noncovalent interactions to PDH
3 steps before + func + product: dihydrolipoyl transacetylase
- the 2C molecule bonded to TPP is oxidized and transferred to lipoic acid (a coenzyme that is covalently bonded to the enzyme)
- lipoic acid’s disulfide group acts as an oxidizing agent, creating the acetyl group
- the acetyl group is not bonded to lipoic acid via thioester linkage
func: dihydrolipoyl transacetylase catalyzes the CoA-SH interaction with the newly formed thioester link, causing transfer of an acetyl group to form acetyl-CoA
other product: lipoic acid is left in its reduced form
func: dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase
- flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is used as a coenzyme in order to reoxidize lipoic acid, allowing lipoic acid to facilitate acetyl-CoA formation in future reactions
- as lipoic acid is reoxidized, FAD is reduced to FADH2
- in subsequent reactions this FADH2 is reoxidized to FAD, while NAD+ is reduced to NADH
the ultimate production of acetyl-CoA allows what 4 pathways to culminate in the final common pathway of the TCA cycle?
- fatty acid oxidation (Beta-oxidation)
- amino acid catabolism
- ketones
- alcohol
process/steps (4) + diagram: fatty acid oxidation (beta-oxidation)
- in the cytosol, a process called activation causes a thioester bond to form between carboxyl groups of fatty acids and CoA-SH
- because this activated fatty acyl-CoA cannot cross the inner mitochondrial membrane, the fatty acyl group is transferred to carnitine via a transesterification reaction
- once acyl-carnitine crosses the inner membrane, it transfers the fatty acyl group to a mitochondrial CoA-SH via another transesterification reaction
- once acyl-CoA is formed in the matrix, beta-oxidation can occur, which removes 2-C fragments from the carboxyl end
char + func in beta-oxidation: carnitine
char: a molecule that can cross the inner mitochondrial membrane with a fatty acyl group in tow
func: to carry the acyl group from a cytosolic CoA-SH to a mitochondrial CoA-SH
process (4): amino acid catabolism
- certain amino acids can be used to form acetyl-CoA
- these amino acids must lose their amino group via transamination
- their carbon skeletons can then form ketone bodies (so the amino acids are ketogenic)
- ketone bodies can be converted to acetyl-CoA
acetyl-CoA is typically used to produce ketones when the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is inhibited, can the reverse reaction also happen?
yes
process (3): alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase
- when alcohol is consumed in moderate amounts, these enzymes convert it to acetyl-CoA
- this reaction is accompanied by NADH buildup, inhibiting the Krebs cycle
- thus, the acetyl-CoA formed through this process is used mostly to synthesize fatty acids
where does the TCA cycle take place?
in the mitochondrial matrix
what does the TCA cycle begin with?
the coupling of a molecule of acetyl-CoA to a molecule of oxaloacetate
is oxygen required for the TCA cycle?
Not directly required, but the pathway will not occur anaerobically
why will the TCA cycle not occur anaerobically?
NADH and FADH2 will accumulate if oxygen is not available for the ETC and will inhibit the cycle
diagram: citric acid cycle
TCA cycle step 1: citrate formation (2 + char + eqn)
- acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate undergo a condensation reaction to form citryl-CoA, an intermediate
- then, the hydrolysis of citryl-CoA yields citrate and CoA-SH (this rxn is catalyzed by citrate synthase)
char: part (2) energetically favors the formation of citrate and helps the cycle revolve forward
defn: synthases
enzymes that form new covalent bonds without needing significant energy
TCA step 2: citrate isomerized to isocitrate (4 + char + what is this necessary for + diagram)
- achiral citrate is isomerized to one of 4 possible isomers of isocitrate
- first, citrate binds at 3 points to the enzyme aconitase
- then water is lost from citrate, yielding cis-aconitate
- water is added back to form isocitrate
char: this results in a switching of a hydrogen and a hydroxyl group
necessary to: facilitate the subsequent oxidative decarboxylation
char: aconitase
an enzyme that is a metalloprotein that requires Fe2+
TCA cycle step 3: alpha-ketoglutarate and CO2 formation (2 + diagram)
- isocitrate is first oxidized to oxalosuccinate by isocitrate dehydrogenase
- then oxalosuccinate is decarboxylated to produce alpha-ketoglutarate and CO2
why is step 3 of the TCA cycle (alpha-ketoglutarate and CO2 formation) so important? (3)
- isocitrate dehydrogenase is the rate-limiting enzyme of the TCA cycle
- the first 2 C’s from the cycle is lost here
- this is also the first NADH produced from intermediates in the cycle
TCA cycle step 4: succinyl-CoA and CO2 formation (4 char + diagram)
- these reactions are carried out by the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (similar in mechanism, cofactors, and coenzymes to the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex)
- in the formation of succinyl-CoA, alpha-ketoglutarate and CoA come together and produce a molecule of CO2
- this CO2 represents the second and last C lost from the cycle
- reducing NAD+ produces another NADH
defn + func + what to look out for: dehydrogenases
defn: a subtype of oxidoreductases (enzymes that catalyze a redox reaction)
func: transfer a hydride ion (H-) to an electron acceptor, usually NAD+ or FAD
what to look out for: whenever you see dehydrogenase in aerobic metabolism, lookout for a high-energy electron carrier being formed
TCA cycle step 5: succinate formation (5 char + diagram)
- hydrolysis of the thioester bond on succinyl-CoA yields succinate and CoA-SH and is coupled to the phosphorylation of GDP to GTP
- this rxn is catalyzed by succinyl-CoA synthetase
- recall: the hydrolysis of thioester bonds is accompanied by a significant release of energy
- thus, phosphorylation of GDP to GTP is driven by the energy released by thioester hydrolysis
- once GTP is formed, an enzyme called nucleosidediphosphate kinase catalyzes phosphate transfer from GTP to ADP, producing ATP
func: synthetases
create new covalent bonds with energy input
what is unique about step 5 of the TCA cycle: succinate formation?
it is the only time in the entire TCA cycle in which ATP is produced directly
ATP production occurs predominantly within the electron transport chain
step 6 TCA cycle: fumarate formation (3)
- succinate undergoes oxidation to yield fumarate (this is catalyzed by succinate dehydrogenase)
- as succinate is oxidized to fumarate, FAD is reduced to FADH2
- each molecule of FADH2 then passes the electrons it carries to the electron transport chain, which eventually leads to the production of 1.5 ATP
amount of ATP produced by FADH2 vs. by NADH
FADH2 –> 1.5 ATP
NADH –> 2.5 ATP
why is FAD the electron acceptor in step 6 fumarate formation of the TCA cycle?
the reducing power of succinate is not great enough to reduce NAD+
what is unique about step 6 of the TCA cycle?
it is the only step of the citric acid cycle that doesn’t take place in the mitochondrial matrix, but instead occurs in the inner membrane
why is succinate dehydrogenase considered a flavoprotein? + char
because it is covalently bonded to FAD, the electron acceptor in this reaction
this enzyme is an integral protein on the inner mitochondrial membrane
mnemonic: substrates of the citric acid cycle
Please Can I Keep Selling Seashells For Money, Officer?
Pyruvate
Citrate
Isocitrate
alpha-Ketoglutarate
Succinyl-CoA
Succinate
Fumarate
Malate
Oxaloacetate
step 7 TCA cycle: malate formation
the enzyme fumarase catalyzes the hydrolysis of the alkene bond in fumarate, giving rise to malate
does L-malate or D-malate form in step 7 of the TCA cycle?
L-malate only
step 8 TCA cycle: oxaloacetate formed anew
- the enzyme malate dehydrogenase catalyzes the oxidation of malate to oxaloacetate
- a third and final molecule of NAD+ is reduced to NADH
- the newly formed oxaloacetate is ready to take part in another turn of the citric acid cycle and we’ve gained all of the high energy electron carriers possible
diagram: step 5-8 TCA cycle
what is the net yield from the previous processes starting with pyruvate dehydrogenase complex?
PDH Complex: (products: one acetyl-CoA, one NADH)
Pyruvate + CoA-SH + NAD+ –> acetyl-CoA + NADH + CO2 + H+
Citric Acid Cycle: (steps 3, 4, 8 each produce one NADH; step 6 one FADH2; step 5 one GTP, which can be converted to ATP; 2 C’s leave the cycle as CO2; each NADH can be converted to 2.5 ATP, each FADH2 yields 2.5 ATP)
Acetyl-CoA + 3 NAD+ + FAD + GDP + Pi + 2 H2O –> 2 CO2 + CoA-SH + 3 NADH + 3 H+ + FADH2 + GTP
ATP Production:
- 4 NADH –> 10 ATP (2.5 ATP per NADH)
- 1 FADH2 –> 1.5 ATP (1.5 ATP per FADH2)
- 1 GTP –> 1 ATP
Total: 12.5 ATP per pyruvate = 25 ATP per glucose