Metabolism Flashcards
Define metabolism
Mechanisms which couple the demand for energy (which is constant), with the fuel supply (which is intermittent)
Define catabolism
Degradation of molecules to release energy
Define anabolism
Synthesis of new molecules to store energy
Describe the first stage of metabolism
Digestion in the GI tract - absorption and transport in the blood
Describe stage 2 of metabolism
In the cell cytoplasm:
- Anabolic - nutrients built into storage molecules such as glycogen/protein/lipid
- Catabolic - nutrients broken down to pyruvic acid and acetyl CoA
Describe stage 3 of metabolism
In mitochondria:
-Catabolism requiring oxygen to completely breakdown food and generate ATP
How much oxygen do humans consume?
Roughly 350 ml O2/min but can increase 5 times during exercise
Define oxidation
Gain of O2 from molecules or loss of hydrogen (or loss of electrons from molecules)
Define reduction
Loss of O2 from molecules or gain of hydrogen (or addition of electrons)
Name the two important coenzymes involved in metabolism
- Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)
- Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)
What is the role of the coenzymes in metabolism?
They transfer hydrogen/electrons, to oxidise molecules in reversible redox reactions during metabolism
How much energy is released when ATP is hydrolysed to ADP + Pi?
Approximately -30.5 kJ/mol
What is the first law of thermodynamics?
The total energy of a system (i.e. the universe) is constant - energy can neither be created nor destroyed… can be converted from one form to another
Define Gibbs free energy of activation
The energy needed to transform substrates into the transition state
Define Exergonic
Releases more energy than input (favourable)
Define Exergonic
Releases more energy than input (favourable)
Define endergonic
Requires more energy input than it yields (unfavourable)
How is glucose transported into a cell?
Glut receptors e.g Glut2 and Glut4 - enhanced by insulin
Is glycolysis catabolic or anabolic?
Catabolic
Where does glycolysis take place within the cell?
Cytosol
How many steps are there in glycolysis?
10
What are the 3 stages of glycolysis?
- Investment
- Cleavage
- Energy Harvest
How many ATP are used in glycolysis?
2
How many ATP are generated in glycolysis?
4
What is the net gain of ATP in glycolysis?
2
What is step 1 of glycolysis?
- Phosphorylation of glucose at carbon 6
- Requires ATP (investment stage)
- Locks glucose inside the cell (maintains glucose gradient)
What enzyme is used in step 1 of glycolysis?
Hexokinase
What is step 2 of glycolysis?
- Conversion of glucose-6-phosphate (aldose) to fructose-6-phosphate (ketose)
- Glucose-6-phosphate - ring structure opens to enable isomerisation and subsequent ring closure - fructose-6-phosphate
What enzyme is used in step 2 of glycolysis?
Phosphoglucose isomerase
What is step 3 of glycolysis?
- Fructose-6-phosphate phosphorylated at carbon 1 - fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP)
- Requires ATP (investment stage)
- Key regulatory point
What enzyme is used in step 3 of glycolysis?
Phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK)
What are steps 4 and 5 of glycolysis?
- Aldolase cleaves the FBP (6 carbons) into 2 trioses
- Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GAP)
- Dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP)
- These two are interchangeable and one can become the other through the use of the enzyme triose phosphate isomerase (step 5 technically)
- Only glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate used in the rest of glycolysis
What is step 6 of glycolysis?
- Oxidation & phosphorylation GAP by NAD+ and Pi
- First high energy intermediate - aldehyde oxidation (exergonic reaction) drives synthesis of the 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate
- Aerobic conditions - 2NADH + 2H+ enters citric acid cycle
What enzyme is used in step 6 of glycolysis?
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
What is step 7 of glycolysis?
- First formation of ATP (energy harvest)
- The newly formed high-energy phosphate bond used to synthesise ATP and 3-phosphoglycerate (3PG)
What enzyme is used in step 7 of glycolysis?
Phosphoglycerate kinase
What is step 8 of glycolysis?
-3PG converted to 2PG - essential preparation for next energy harvest step
What enzyme is used in step 8 of glycolysis?
Phosphoglyceromutase
What is step 9 of glycolysis?
2PG dehydration to form phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) - converts low energy ester bond of 2PG into high-energy intermediate phosphate bond
What enzyme is used in step 9 of glycolysis?
Enolase
What is step 10 of glycolysis?
Hydrolysis of PEP high-energy bond to generate ATP and pyruvate (physiological irreversible reaction)
What enzyme is used in step 10 of glycolysis?
Pyruvate kinase
What are the possible fates of pyruvate?
- Anaerobic - converted to lactate
- Aerobic - converted to Acetyl-CoA
- High cellular energy levels - fatty acids or ketone bodies
What happens after glycolysis in anaerobic conditions?
- Pyruvate + NADH + H+ <======>Lactate + NAD+
- For glycolysis to be able to continue in anaerobic conditions, NAD+ must be replenished
- When ATP demand is high and O2 depleted, homolactic fermentation regenerates NAD+
- Reversible reaction which enables glycolysis to continue for short amounts of time