Glycogen Flashcards
If there is lots of energy available under the form of ATP and lots of glucose had been consumed. What is converted to make glycogen?
G6P (glucose-6-phosphate)
Excess glucose is stored under the form of _______ in the ______ and _______.
glycogen
muscles
liver
Other than being converted to glycogen, what other routes can glucose go through?
Glycolyis
Pentose-phosphate pathway
The emergency stock of glycogen is only sufficient for ___-___ hours.
20-24 hours
If glycogen stores are exhausted, what mechanism can be used to generate more glucose?
Neoglucogenesis
What is neoglucogenesis?
generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources: proteins, fats.
Plants store excess glucose as ______, humans store excess glucose as _______.
starch
glycogen
What are the links between glucose molecules in glycogen. What are the links between branches?
Links between glucose = alpha(1-4) glycoside links.
Branches = alpha(1-6) glycoside links
Starch has _____ branches than glycogen.
fewer
What is the only difference between starch and glycogen?
The amount of branching
How is cellulose different from glycogen and starch.
Beta links rather than alpha links.
This is the reason we cannot digest cellulose.
Undigested cellulose is ________.
Cellulose is a major component of the plant ____ _____.
fibre
cell wall
What are the reasons we store glucose as glycogen rather than just glucose?
If we were to store energy in the free glucose form, we would reach over 400mM (or 0.4M) and over 0.5M in the liver and muscle cells. This would cause hyperosmolarity and lead to cell lysis.
When stored under the form of glycogen, the heavy branching allows for the molecule to achieve a very high molecular weight and thus barely affect osmolarity (10nM).
Molarity is based on the number of particles. Glucose would be 1 000 000+, glycogen just 1.
What are the two purposes for storage of glycogen in the muscles and liver?
1 - In the muscles, glycogen is stored for emergency purposes when exercising and blood glucose is not sufficient.
2 - Live glycogen is used to maintain blood glucose around the body.
Why do we store emergency fuel under the form of glycogen instead of fat?
1 - Glycogen can be rapidly converted to glucose
2- During an emergency, we use glycolysis and lactic acid fermentation to generate energy anaerobically. However, fat cannot be catabolized aneorabically, glycogen can.
3 - Animals cannot convert fatty acids to glucose.
- glycogen is the only substances that can be converted to glucose to maintain blood glucose.
- fat cannot maintain blood glucose
4 - Large amounts of glucose can be stored under the form of glycogen without affecting the osmolarity of cells
- cells wont burst
What is the most important reason for extensive branching in glycogen?
So that multiple glycogen phosphorylases can act at several non-reducing ends of glycogen chains to generate large amounts of G1P for glycolysis or, to release glucose in the blood very quickly.
Every branch that is created in glycogen will have a ________ end tail.
non-reducing
What is a non-reducing end?
Cannot be oxidized.
Why can’t a non-reducing end be oxidized?
In the non-reducing end, carbon with H and OH is not near the oxygen, harder to get rid of Hydrogen.
In the reducing end, H-OH present near oxygen, easier to get rid of hydrogen.
What are the advantages of multiple branches?
1 - Increased solubility
- more branching means more soluble
- when fully solvated, not recognized by immunity as foreign
2 - More branching allows more glycogen phosphorylases to function simultaneously
What 3 enzymes participate in glycogen breakdown?
1 - Glycogen phosphorylase
2 - Debranching enzyme
3 - Phosphoglucomutase
Describe glycogen phosphorylase.
Produces glycogen and G1P. Works at reducing ends, stops at branches. Two forms: Phosphorylase a Phosphorylse b. Dimer of two identical subunits. Co-factor = PLP
Where does glycogen phosphorylse get phosphorylated? Can it be active without phosphorylation?
Phosphorylated at serine-14 to become phosphorylase b, super-active.
Can be slightly active by presence of AMP.
What are the inhibitors of glycogen phosphorylase. Activators?
Activators: AMP (dominant allosteric activator)
Inhibitors: ATP, G6P, glucose
Serine-14 is located at which terminus?
Amino
What is the co-factor for glycogen phosphorylase.
PLP - vitamin B6
What does the amino terminal domain contain in glycogen phosphorylase?
Interface subdomain - contains serine 14 and allosteric effector site
Glycogen binding subdomain
- glycogen binding/storage site
What is an effector?
Both an inhibitor and activator
What is the key player in PLP?
Phosphate
Describe 1,5-gluconolactone. What evidence does it provide?
Imitates the same structure as the oxonium intermediate.
It binds to the active site of glycogen phosphorylase but inhibits the reaction.
Provides evidence for oxonium ion and SN1 reaction in the glycogen phosphorylase mechanism.
The glycogen phoshorylase mechanism is an SN_ mechanism.
1
How is G1P converted to G6P?
Phosphoglucomutase.
Describe the transient labelling of phosphoglucomutase.
Take G1P during glycogen breakdown and add radiolabeled phosphate.
Enzyme gets labeled until it exchanges its phosphate for a new G1P.
Only labeled transiently.