Lecture 20

Question 1

Compare and contrast primary and specialized metabolism

Answer 1

Primary: core metabolic routes, always made, all organisms so highly conserved

Specialized: built FROM core metabolic routes, conditionally made, tailored to specific strains/groups of organisms, has environmental responses

Question 2

What are the major families of molecules?

Answer 2

Terpenoids, alkaloids, peptides, and phenylpropanoids (peptides seems to be wishy-washy??)

Question 3

In what type of metabolism are caffeine, morphine, and glucobrassicin involved? Which major molecule family are they in?

Answer 3

Caffeine: NT metabolism
Morphine and glucobrassicin: aa metabolism

All are alkaloids

Question 4

Describe the phenylpropanoid pathway

Answer 4

Phenylalanine -> mingle with polyketides -> chalcones -> flavones -> isoflavones -> anthocyanins -> pterocarpans

Question 5

What is the enzyme used to make proteins that are not processed by the ribosome?

Answer 5

Non-ribosomal peptide synthases (NRPS)

Question 6

Describe step 1 in NRPS

Answer 6

aa binds the adenylation domain to be adenylated by ATP, which activates the aa

Question 7

Describe step 2 in NRPS

Answer 7

aa goes to thiolation domains

Question 8

Describe step 3 in NRPS

Answer 8

aa goes to condensation/cyclization domain to be linked to Cys (2 peptides linked together) with help of ATP

Question 9

Describe step 4 in NRPS

Answer 9

aa goes to thiolation domains again

Question 10

Describe step 5 in NRPS

Answer 10

Thioesterase (TE) uses H2O as a nucleophile to cleave the peptide in free form

Question 11

How are indole alkaloids made?

Answer 11

Methyltransferases (group transfer), oxidases, CoA-acylation, C-C radical coupling