Essential Metabolism Flashcards
What important factors influence enzyme activity in the body?
Covalent modification (eg phosphorylation)
Synthesis/degradation (protein availability)
Temperature
pH (ionic interactions influence protein shape)
Substrate availability [S]
Compartmentalisation (allows incompatible reactions to take place simultaneously within the cell)
Activators and deactivators (regulatory molecules)
Cofactors/coenzymes
What is the difference between cofactors and coenzymes?
Coenzymes are organic molecules that act as cofactors
How is energy stored in cells?
ATP
NAD(P)H
FADH2
Acetyl CoA
High-energy linkage
Phosphate
Electrons and hydrogens
Acetyl groups
Energy can also be stored as ion gradients and high energy phosphate bonds
What are redox reactions?
Reactions that involve electron transfer or can involve transfer of H enzymes are called dehydrogenases
What is the electron redox potential (aka E’)?
Measure of ability of one molecule to pass electrons to another.
More negative E’ indicates stronger reductant so more readily donates electron
What happens to energy when electrons are donated?
When donated from compound with more negative redox potential to one that is less negative/more positive energy is released
What causes abnormal metabolism?
Abnormal metabolism results from nutritional deficiency, enzyme deficiency, or abnormal secretion of hormones.
What are the main metabolic fuels?
Glucose and fats
Proteins can also be used
What is the pentose phosphate pathway?
A versatile pathway that does not make ATP but produces ribose 5-P for nucleotides
Supplies NADPH for reductive biosynthesis
Provides a pathway for metabolism of excess pentoses
Why do red blood cells need NADPH?
To reduce glutathione which is important for RBC integrity
What sections does the pentose phosphate pathway consist of?
Oxidative section which gets ribose-5P and NADPH
Nonoxidative section which manipulates the ribose-5P based on cell’s needs
What is considered when deciding the fate of the nonoxidative section of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway?
If the cell needs equal amounts of ribose-5P and NADPH oxidative PPP proceeds.
If the cell needs lots of NADPH but no ribose-5P then nonoxidative PPP converts excess ribose-5P to glucose-6P
What is the function of G6PDH?
It converts Glucose-6-phosphate to 6-phosphogluconate which is the first step of the oxidative phase of PPP.
What are some important functions of NADPH?
Reductive biosynthesis (form fatty acids, sterols, etc)
Glutathione production which allows cells to reduce oxidative damage by free radicals.
What happens to glucose in the absence of oxygen?
Fermentation occurs, pyruvate is produced via glycolysis and then the pyruvate is converted to lactate via lactate dehydrogenase.
What triggers the fermentation pathway?
Accumulation of NADH due to slowing down of electron transport chain due to lack of oxygen.
What is required for fermentation to take place?
Pyruvate and NADH
What happens to lactate that is produced?
It is acidic so it is exported via the cori cycle.
The lactate is exported into the blood and then processed by the liver and converted by LDH then gluconeognesis into glucose
Which enzyme phosphorylates glucose?
Hexokinase
Which tissues use glucose preferentially?
Muscles and the brain (only fuel for brain under normal circumstances)
What do ketone bodies get produced from?
From acetyl CoA
What are the key enzymes of glycolysis?
Hexokinase (converts glucose to glucose-6-phosphate)
Phosphofructokinase (provides energy for glycolysis to proceed; producing fructose 1,6-bisphosphate)
Pyruvate kinase (produces pyruvate in final step)
How is glycolysis regulated?
Citrate and ATP have a negative feedback action on phosphofructokinase and on pyruvate kinase.
Pyruvate kinase increases with more increase in fructose-1,6-bisphosphate to counteract the negative feedback of increased ATP and citrate.
What feedback mechanisms act on phosphofructokinase-1 in glycolysis?
ADP and AMP increase rate
ATP and citrate decrease rate (inhibitory)
What feedback mechanisms act on hexokinase?
Pi’s increase activity
G6P inhibit hexokinase-1
What feedback mechanisms act on pyruvate kinase?
ATP inhibits pyruvate kinase
Fructose-1,6-bisP increases its activity
How much glucose is needed by the brain?
120g/day
Where does most gluconeogenesis occur?
> 90% of gluconeogenesis occurs in the liver and the kidneys
How does gluconeogenesis occur?
It is the reverse of glycolysis except 3 enzymes (pyruvate kinase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, and hexokinase) are not used and these steps are bypassed by 3 other enzymes.
How do amino acids get converted into glucose?
They are converted to oxaloacetate and then undergo gluconeogenesis
How do fatty acids get converted into glucose?
Glycerol is converted into dihydroxyacetone phosphate which undergoes gluconeogenesis
Can acetyl-CoA be converted into glucose?
No, they can only be converted to ketone bodies if not in the TCA cycle
How is the reaction of pyruvate kinase reversed in gluconeogenesis?
2 reactions:
Pyruvate -> oxaloacetate via pyruvate carboxylase
Oxaloacetate -> Phosphoenolpyruvate via phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase
What other substrate is required for Pyruvate -> oxaloacetate reaction?
ATP
What other substrate is required for Oxaloacetate -> Phosphoenolpyruvate reaction?
GTP
What enzyme catalyses the reverse reaction to phosphofructose kinase in gluconeogenesis?
Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase