Integrated Metabolism Flashcards
Functions of Metabolism
- Supplies energy and biosynthetic precursors
- Provides mechanisms of excretion of waste products
- Provides protection
- Supplies molecules that operate control mechanisms
Metabolic control and integration
- Hormonal controls
- CNS controls the release of the hormones
- Secondary messengers (intracellular and intercellular signalling)
- Availability of circulating substrates
Co-operation between the different organs and tissues
- to continue to perform these key functions as conditions change, and to avoid substrate cycles
Control and integration at whole body level
- Control of cellular activities and pathways via extracellular signals produced by other cells of the body, under control of the CNS
- circulating hormones, with specific mechanisms of action
Regulation of enzyme activities
- allosterically (binding of a compound to another site on the enzyme);
- via covalent modification (mainly phosphorylation/ dephosphorylation)
- via changes in enzyme concentration, eg. new synthesis
Regulation of pathways by regulatory enzymes
- to maintain balance between pathways
- to control synthesis and breakdown pathways in a reciprocal manner – activation of one and inhibition of the other – to avoid futile cycles
Metabolic pathways involving carbohydrates
- Glycolysis
- Gluconeogenesis
- PDH reaction, Shuttles
- Pentose phosphates pathway
- Glycogen synthesis
- Glycogen breakdown
Metabolic pathways involving lipids
- Fatty acid ß-oxidation
- Ketone bodies synthesis
- Fatty acid synthesis
- Complex lipid synthesis
- TAG synthesis
- TAG hydrolysis
- Cholesterol synthesis
Metabolic pathways involving proteins
- Amino acids catabolism
- Transamination
- Amino acid synthesis
- Urea cycle
- Nucleotide synthesis
Metabolic pathways involving energy
- Citric acid cycle (CAC)
- Electron transport chain (ETC)
- Oxidative phosphorylation (OxP)
Metabolic features of brain
- Fuel: glucose (KB)
- Fuel store: none
- Fuel exported: none
- Pathways: glycolysis, PDH, AA cat, CAC, ETC, OxP
Metabolic features of liver
- Fuel: glucose, fatty acids, AA
- Fuel store: Glycogen, TAG
- Fuel exported: glucose, KB, FA, VLDLs
- Pathways: glycolysis, PDH, FA Ox, AA cat, CAC, ETC, OxP;
Gluconeogenesis; Glycogen synthesis, glycogen breakdown, FA synthesis, TAG synthesis, KB synthesis; Urea synthesis
Metabolic features of RBCs
- Fuel: glucose
- Fuel store: none
- Fuel exported: lactate
- Pathways: glycolysis
Metabolic features of heart muscle
- Fuel: fatty acids; glucose
- Fuel store: none
- Fuel exported: none
- Pathways: glycolysis, PDH, FA Ox, AA cat, CAC, ETC, OxP;
Metabolic features of adipose tissue
- Fuel: glucose, fatty acids, AA
- Fuel store: TAG
- Fuel exported: FA, glycerol
- Pathways: glycolysis, PDH, FA Ox, AA cat, CAC, ETC, OxP; TAG synthesis, TAG hydrolysis
Metabolic features of skeletal tissue
- Fuel: fatty acids, glucose, AA
- Fuel store: glycogen
- Fuel exported: lactate, alanine
- Pathways: glycolysis, PDH, FA Ox, AA cat, CAC, ETC, OxP; glycogen breakdown; glycogen synthesis
Metabolic control: aims, pathways and regulators
- Main aims: control blood glucose levels (glucose homeostasis), supply glucose to tissues which depend on it for their energy requirements (ATP synthesis)
- Main pathways: glycolysis and gluconeogenesis
- Main regulators: hormones - insulin and glucagon; epinephrine (adrenaline)
Biochemical actions of insulin
- Activates/Increases: uptake of glucose in muscle cells and adipocytes, glycolysis, glycogen synthesis, TAG synthesis, protein, DNA and RNA synthesis
- Inhibits / Decreases: gluconeogenesis, lipolysis, protein hydrolysis
Physiological actions of insulin
- Signals fed state
- Activates: fuel storage, cell growth and differentiation
- Decreases: blood glucose level
Biochemical actions of glucagon
- Activates/Increases: cAMP level in liver and adipose tissue, glycogenolysis, TAG hydrolysis, gluconeogenesis
- Inhibits/Decreases: glycolysis, glycogen synthesis
Physiological actions of glucagon
- Activates/Increases: glucose release from liver, blood glucose level
Biochemical actions of epinephrine (adrenaline)
- Activates/Increases: cAMP level in muscle, glycogenolysis, TAG hydrolysis
- Inhibits/Decreases: glycogen synthesis
Physiological actions of epinephrine (adrenaline)
- Activates/Increases: glucose release from liver, blood glucose level
- Inhibits/Decreases: glucose use by muscle
Digestion and Nutrient absorption in intestine in absorptive (fed) state (steps 1-3)
- Carbohydrate digestion - absorption of glucose –> blood
- Lipid (TAG) digestion - formation of chylomicrons –> lymph –> blood
- Protein digestion - absorption of AA –> blood
What happens to blood glucose levels 2-4 hours after a meal? (step 4)
- increase
- Insulin is released from the β-cells in the pancreas
- Insulin levels are high
- Glucagon levels are low
Metabolic integration in liver in absorptive (fed) state (steps 5-7)
- Glucose uptake by liver cells – Glycolysis (Insulin activated), PDH, CAC, ETC, OxP –> ATP, CO2 to meet the energy requirements of liver cells
- Glycogen synthesis in liver cells (Insulin activated) – excess glucose is stored
- Fatty acid and TAG synthesis in liver cells (Insulin activated) – excess glucose converted to fatty acids, esterified with glycerol and exported into blood as VLDLs
Metabolic integration in the brain during fed state (step 8)
- Glucose uptake by CNS cells (dependent on glucose for energy; FA transport across the blood brain barrier too slow)
- Glycolysis, PDH, CAC, ETC, OxP –> ATP, CO2 to meet the energy requirements of brain cells
Metabolic integration in RBCs during fed state (step 9)
- Glucose uptake by RBC (dependent on glucose for energy; no mitochondria)
- Glycolysis, Pyruvate reduced to lactate –> ATP, NAD+ to meet the energy requirements of RBC, lactate released in the blood