Metabolism Flashcards
How is energy conserved primarily
In the form of ATP
Generally catabolic pathways are what and do what?
Oxidative, release free energy and produce intermediates
Generally anabolic pathways are what?and do what
Reductive, use intermediates and energy in synthesis
ADP+Pi, to become ATP what is generally needed and what are the byproducts
Oxygen added, CO2 H2O and heat biproducts
What are NAD+, FAD and NADP+ examples of?
Carriers of reducing power
What is the purpose of carriers of reducing power?
When a substrate is oxidised these are reduced, storing the energy of the bond
What concentration should carrier of reducing power be kept at in a cell
Needs to be a constant concentration
How are carriers of reducing power kept at a constant concentration?
Reoxidation reactions:
Cell respiration
Reactions where the substrate is reduced
What is a key example of carriers of reducing powers being kept at a constant concentration when oxygen isn’t available for cell respiration
Pyruvate +NADH+H+-> Lactic acid + NAD+
What are some examples of reduced carrier states
NADH + H+
NADPH + H+
FAD2H
NAD+, NADP+ and FAD are all examples of what? What do they need to be synthesised in the body?
Oxidised carriers
Nicotinamide from niacin
Flavin from vitamins
What needs a constant supply of glucose
Brain and RBC
How else can glucose be obtained other than diet
Gluconeogensis of amino acids, glycerol, dietary sugars
Glyconeolysis
What are dietary fat soluble vitamins
D E A K
What essential fatty acids are part if the cell membrane component
Linoleic and linolenic
How is glucose released from dietary polysacharides like starch and glycogen
Glycosidase enzymes
What are dietary polysacharides broken down into?
Glucose, maltose, dextrins
Where does the digestion of polysacharides begin?
In the most with salivary amylase
After partial digestion of dietary polysacharides in the mouth, what happens in the jejunum
Pancreatic amylase continues to break down to maltose, lactose, sucrose, dextrins, glucose
Where does the digestion of maltose, lactose, sucrose occur
Brush border of epithelial cells in jejunum and duodenum
What enzymes release glucose, fructose and galactose from the partially broken down polysacharides in the gut
Lactase, sucrase, isomaltase, glycoamylase.
Who’s lactase activity is high?
Babies/infants
Where are polypeptides initially broken down
Stomach, pepsin breaking peptide bonds
Once peptide bonds of polypeptides have been broken in the stomach, what continues the breakdown in the small intestine
Trypsin, chymotripsin, carboxypeptidase
What are the 9 essential amino acids+ mnemonic
If learned this huge list may prove truly valuable
Isoleucine, leucine, threonine, histidine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, valine
What 3 additional amino acids to the essential amino acids, can become essential in pregnancy and childhood?
And Then Children
Arginine, Tyrosine, Cysteine
Where is fat broken down initially, and by what?
Small intestine by pancreatic lipase
What is the purpose of bile salts in relation to fat
Emulsifies the fat, making it small enough for pancreatic lipase to break it down
What are fats broken down to so that they can be absorbed
Free fatty acids and monoglycerides
What happens to the monoglycerides and free fatty acids once entering gut epithelial cells?
In the ER they are resynthesised to TAGs. Coated in protein to form chylomicrons. Enter lymphatic capillaries (lacteals), then entering blood via thoracic duct
Where do the chylomicrons drain into from the gut
Left subclavian vein from the thoracic duct
What is the first reaction in glycolysis
Glucose +ATP -> glucose-6-phosphate +ADP
What enzymes are needed for the first step of glycolysis
Glucokinase in liver and pancreas
Hexokinase in other cells
What is the first step in glucose metabolism an example of
Phosphorylation
What is the purpose of the first step of glycolysis
Makes sugar anion (prevents leaving plasma membrane)
Increase sugar reactivity
Allows for substrate level phosphorylation
What is difference about glucokinase to hexokinase
Glucokinase only works at high glucose concentrations
What is dietary lactose broken down into
Glucose and galactose
What is the time line of conversions from galactose to glucose 6 phosphate
Galactose -> galactose 1-P -> glucose 1-P -> G6P
What is required in the first step of galactose metabolism
Galactokinase enzyme
ATP
What enzyme is required for the forward reaction from galactose 1P to glucose 1P
What enzyme is required for the reverse reaction and why is the reverse reaction important
Galactose 1-P uridyl transferase (forward)
UDP-galactose 4 epimerase, important in breast feeding
What does accumulation of galactose result in
Galactitol
How is galactitol produced
In galactose excess, Aldose reductase (req NADPH)
What happens if the production of Galactitol is favoured in galactose excess
Depletes NADPH-> cataracts
Increases ocular pressure-> glaucoma
What enzyme is commonly absent in galactossaemia
Galactose 1-p uridyl transferase
An absence of galactose 1-P uridyl transferase results in what
Accumulation of galactose 1-P and galactose (that’s converted to Galactitol)
Why is accumulation of galactose 1-P dangerous?
It sequesters Pi, damages liver kidney and brain
What is dietary sucrose converted into
Glucose, fructose
Where is fructose converted and what is it converted to, to enter glycolysis
Glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate in the liver
What is the first unique reaction to glycolyis
Conversion of fructose 6 phosphate to fructose 1-6 bis phosphate
What is the second step of glycolysis. Reversible or irreversible ?
G6P -> F6P reversible
What is the 3rd step of glycolysis?
What enzyme?
What’s special about this step?
F6P-> Fructose 1,6,bisphosphate
PFK
Committing step of glycolysis
Why is the conversion to F1,6BP with catalyst PFK the ‘commiting step’
It’s irreversible with a large negative value (energy)
What size carbon ring is F1,6,BP?
6 carbon
Step 4 and 5 of glycolysis represents what (in relation to structure)
Starting compound is F1,6,BP
Cleave from 6 carbon to 2 3 carbon molecules that are interconvertible
Dihydroxyacetone-P and Glyceraldehyde 3-P
What is important about the 3 carbon intermediate produces from step 4 in the glycolysis pathway what’re F1,6,BP has been cleaved to form dihydroxyacetone-P and glyceraldehyde 3-P
Dihydroxyacetone-P needed to make glycerol phosphate
In step 6 of glycolysis, what is glyceraldehyde converted into?
What does it reduce?
What’s important about its converted molecule?
1-3- bisphosphoglycerate
NAD->NADH
1-3 bisphosphoglycerate goes on to form 2,3 BPG for o2 affinity
Reaction 7 of glycolysis with 1-3 bisphosphoglycerate.
What’s the end product
What is produced
What is this an example of
3 phosphoglycerate
ATP
Substrate level phosphorylation
What is step 10 of glycolysis
What’s the end product
Why is it irreversible
What’s it an example of
Phospheonolpyruvate -> pyruvate
Large energy change
Substrate level phosphorylation
ATP produced
What are 4 key points about the first 10 steps of glycolysis
No co2 lost
2 atp required, 4 produced
Glucose oxidise to pyruvate
Some C3 intermediates made that are needed for other things
What’s the most important rate limiting step in glycloysis phase 1/2
Step 3 with PFK
How is glycolysis regulated
High energy signalling and hormonal control
How is PFK regulated
Allosterically but ATP/ADP
Insulin stimulates
Glucagon inhibits
In low oxygen circumstances what is pyruvate converted to? What’s required
Lactate
NADH
Under normal physiological conditions how much lactate is produced in a day?
Where from mainly?
50g
RBC, brain, Skin, Lungs, GI
If rate of lactate production is equal to utilisation, what is blood lactate
<1mmol/L
Where is blood lactate processed
Liver, kidney and heart
How is lactate processed in the heart?
Converted to pyruvate with LDH
Oxidation into energy
How is lactate processed in the liver and kidney
Converted to pyruvate with LDH
Then either enters TCA cycle or undergoes gluconeogensis
When is lactate ‘above the renal threshold’
5mmol and up
What are the 2 overarching causes of increased blood lactate
Increased production or decreased utilisation
What can increase the production of lactate
Exercise
Big meal
Shock
Congestive heart disease
What can decrease the utilisation of lactate
Liver disease
Thiamine defficency
Alcohol metabolism
How does the body have a constant supply of glucose between meals?
Glycogen stores
How is glycogen described
A highly branches polymer of glucose
What bonds does glycogen have at branch points?
Alpha 1,6
What bonds does glycogen have, not at the brach points
Alpha 1,4 glycosidic
Where is glycogen stored
Granules in liver and skeletal muscles
Where is the highest amount (g) of glycogen stored?
Skeletal muscles 300g
What limits the amount of glycogen that can be stored
It’s very polar
What are the 2 enzymes involved in addidng further glucose to glycogen
Glycogen synthase and branching enzyme
What’s the ratio of glycosidic bonds to branch points in glycogen
10:1
In glycogenesis what is G6P initially converted to and with what enzyme?
Reversible or not?
G1p with phosphoglucomutase
Reversible
In glycogenesis how is G1P altered to eventually join glycogen?
UTP+ H20 added creating UDP glucose +2Pi
UDP glucose added to glycogen, losing UDP in the process
What promotes the formation of glycogen and what inhibits it
?
Insulin promotes it
Adrenaline and glucagon inhibit it
When is glyconeolysis initiated?
In response to exercise in skeletal muscle
In response to fasting in the liver
What enzymes are active in glyconeolysis and what do they catalyse?
Glycogen phosphorylase acts on alpha 1,4 bonds
De-branching enzyme acts on alpha 1,6
What can muscle stores not make from glucose 1 p in glyconeolysis?
Glucose due to lack of glucose 6 phosphotase
Where is glucose 6 phosphotase and what is its purpose
In the liver and can convert G6P to glucose to be mobilised into the blood
What is glucagon action on glycogen synthase
Decrease
What is insulins action on glycogen synthase
Increase
What is glucagon action on glycogen phosphorylase
Increase
What is insulins action on glycogen phosphorylase
Decrease
Where is the pentose phosphate pathway very important
Liver
RBC
Adipose
Dividing tissues
Why is the pentose phosphate pathway important
Produces NADPH for anabolic processes
Produces C5 sugar ribose for nucleotides
Why is the pentose phosphate pathway essential in RBC
Maintains free -SH groups on cysteine residues
Why is the pentose phosphate pathway essential in adipose tissue
Provides NADPH for lipid synthesis
Where does the c5 sugar ribose come from for nucleotides
Pentose phosphate pathway
How much ATP is generated in the pentose phosphate pathway
Nil
What is the start product in the pentose phosphate pathway
G6P
What is phase 1 of the pentose phosphate pathway
Start
Enzyme
Product
G6P + 2NADP+
Glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase G6PD
C5 + 2NADPH + 2H+ + 2CO2
Where is G6PDH located chromosomally
X
Why do you get Heinz bodies with a G6PDH defficency?
NADPH (from pentose phosphate pathway)needed to recycle glutathione
Gluatathione protects against free radicals
RBC can only get NADPH from PPP therfore chromatin becomes damaged and haemolysis occurs
What happens to the c5 sugars from the PPP that arent used up?
Converted to 2-fructose-6 phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and rejoin glycolysis
How is pyruvate inverted to Acetly Coa?
What is produced?
What enzyme ?
Pyruvate dehydrogenase
Co2 produced
NAD+ converted to NADH
What is important about the conversion of pyruvate to Acetly coa
Acetly coa can not be used in gluconeogenesis, conversion is large energy step
If Acetly coa wasn’t under some kind of control, what would happen?
Glucose dependent tissues would use up all of the glycogen stores
What other pathway is important so that acetyl coa levels are kept high?
Beta oxidation of fatty acids
What inhibits the activity of PDH
Acetly Coa
What activates PDH activity
Insulin
What are the 3 classes of lipids in the body?
Fatty acid derivatives
Hydroxyl-methyl-glutoric-acid derivatives
Vitamins DEAK
What are some examples of fatty acid derivatives?
Fatty acids
Triacyglycerol
Phospholipids
Eicasonoids
What are some examples of hydroxy-methyl-glutamic acid derivatives
Ketone bodies
Cholesterol
Cholesterol esters
Bile salts
The breakdown of triacyglycerol is called what? And the build up of it is called what?
Lipolysis
Esterfication
Triacyglycerol have what properties
Anhydrous
Hydrophobic
What promotes esterfication and what promotes lipolysis hormonally
Insulin promotes esterfication
Glucagon, cortisol, adrenaline, growth hormone and thyroxine promote lipolysis
What enzyme is responsible for the breakdown of triacyglycerols
Hormone sensitive lipase
Once TAG has been broken down, how and where do the components travel
Glycerol in the blood to the liver
Fatty acids bound to albumin to tissues
When glycerol reaches the liver what enzyme acts on it?
What does it make?
Where can this new component now go ?
Glycerol kinase
Glycerol phosphate
Glycerol phosphate can now be used either for TAG synthesis or to enter glycolyis by conversion to dihydroxyacetone phosphate
Where can fatty acids not be utilised? Why is this?
RBC- no mitochondria
Brain- cant cross BBB
When fatty acids reach a desired tissue what reaction takes place?
What enzyme
Where in the cell
CoA added to make fatty accyl CoA
Fatty Acyl CoA synthase
Outside the mitochondira
What is the purpose of linking fatty acids to CoA?
Form high energy of hydrolysis bond
How does fatty accyl CoA enter the mitochondria for beta oxidation
Transport using carinitine?
What inhibits the transport of fatty acyl CoA into the mitochondria?
Why does it do this?
Malonyl CoA- an intermediate in fatty acid synthesis
Stops newly synthesised fatty acids entering mitochondria
What happens in beta oxidation within the mitochodnria?
A sequence of oxidative reactions to remove C2 at a time, the c2 compound goes on to for Acetly CoA
What is essential for beta oxidation to occur?
Oxygen as the reducing agents need to be reoxidised by ETC
What are ketone bodies?
Important fuel molecules used by all tissues, including the CNS
What are the 3 ketone bodies produced in the body?
Acetoacetate, acetone, beta hydroxybutyrate
How are high plasma concentrations of ketone bodies possible?
They are water soluble
What levels of ketone bodies is normal in a restin state?
Less than 1 mol
What level of ketone bodies can be seen in starvation
2-10mol
If ketone level is above 10 what is likely they case?
Untreated type 1 DM
Which ketone bodies are strong organic acids?
Acetoacetate
Beta hydroxybutyrate
What does the ketone body acetone account for?
Nail varnish breath, its volatile
What 2 things do you need for ketone synthesis?
Available fatty acids
Fall in plasma insulin level
What are ketone bodies synthesised from
Acetly CoA
What enzyme catalyses the precursor for ketone body formation from Acetly coa?
Synthase
What enzyme converts HMG COA to mevalonate?
What does this go on to form?
What drugs target this enzyme?
HMG CoA reductase
Mevalonate goes on to form cholesterol
The enzyme is a target for statins
What enzyme is needed to convert HMG CoA into ketone bodies?
Lyase
What does lyase convert HMG CoA into?
Acetoacetate
What does acetoacetate go on to form?
Acetone via spontanous non enzymatic decarboxylation
Beta hydroxybutyrate
Ketone body formation is controlled by what?
Insulin/glucagon ratio
Glucagon activates ketone formation, insulin inhibits
What effect does insulin have on lyase and HMG reductase
Inhibits lyase, activates reductase
What is ketonuria?
Ketone level reaching above renal threshold and ending up detectable in urine
When are ketone bodies primarily utilised?
In starvation
How much of alcohol is metbolised and how much is excreted?
90% metabolised
10% excreted
What 2 enzymes are key in the metabolis of alcohol?
Alcohol dehydrogenase
Aldehyde dehydrogenase
What is alcohol converted to initially?
What enzyme
What is the issue with the intermediate?
Acetaldehyde
Alcohol dehydrogenase
Acetaldehyde is toxic to cells
How is the fact that the intermediate of alcohol metabolism- acetaldehyde being toxic to the cells compensated for by the body?
Aldehyde dehydrogenase has a very low Km for acetaldehyde
What is the end product of alcohol metabolism, where does it go on to?
Acetate-> acetyl coa to TCA
What happens if acetaldehyde accumulates?
Liver damage
Hyperbillirubaemia
Hyperammonaeamia
Decreased synthesis of clotting proteins and albumin
How is liver damage detected e.g from alcohol damage?
Leaky plasma membranes- transaminases and gamma glutanmyl transpeptidase leak out
If there is reduced ability to produce urea due to liver damage, what will occur
Hyperammonaemia
Raised glutamine
Why do you get fatty liver with alcohol intake?
Liver damage means inability to produce adequate lipoproteins, they accumulate in the liver.
Other than accumulation of acetaldehyde what other issue is there with processing excess alcohol?
Uses up the NAD+ as NADH levels rise. Decreased ability to oxidise anything
If the NADH levels are very high due to alcohol metabolism, what are some resultant issues?
Inability to oxidise fatty acids
Can’t convert lactate to pyruvate
Can’t metabolise glycerol
If the NADH levels are high due to alcohol metabolism, and the lactate cant be converted to pyruvate, what is the knock on effect
Lactic acidosis
Decreases kidneys ability to excrete Uric acid
Uric acid builds up contributing to gout
If there is decreased levels of NAD+ due to alcohol metabolism, and therfore an inability to use glycerol and lactate. What is the outcome?
Decreased gluconeogensis
Danger of hypoglycaemia
What are the 4 big consequences of the increased NADH in alcohol metabolism?
Lactic acidosis
Urate crystal formation
Hypoglycaemia
Fatty liver
What 4 specific defficencies of nutrients does excess alcohol intake cause?
What can they lead to?
Thiamine and pyrixodine- neurological sx
Folic acid- anaemia
Thiamine- korsacoffs
What can chronic alcohol intake do to the pancreas
Cause chronic pancreatitis
What is disulfirams purpose?
Inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase resulting in acetaldehyde build up and feeling of extreme nausea
What are fatty acids synthesised from? What does it require?
Acetly coa
Requires ATP and NADPH
What is acetyl CoA converted into?
What enzyme catalyses it?
What’s needed?
What change has it made?
Malonyl CoA
Acetyl CoA carboxylase
ATP
C2-> C3
When Malonyl CoA is enters the fatty acid synthase complex what is released?
CO2
Where does lipogensis occur?
Liver cell cytoplasm
Where is the NADPH coming from for lipogenesis?
What needs it?
PPP, TCA
Fatty acid synthase complex
What is the fatty acid synthase complex?
Why is it less important than the Acetly CoA carboxylase?
Group of enzymes that work together to form fatty acids
It isn’t a control step like Acetly coa carboxylase
How is acetyl coa carboxylase activity controlled?
Citrate and insulin activate it
AMP, Glucagon and adrenaline inhibit it
Once the fatty acid is made, where does the glycerol come from?
The glycolysis pathway
What is the TAG synthesised from lipogenesis transported out the liver as/in
VLDL
What is the function of chylomicrons?
Transport dietary TAG to tissues like adipose
What is the function of VLDL
Transport TAG synthesised in liver to adipose for storage
What is the function of IDL
Short lived precursor of LDL, transporting cholesterol from liver
What is the function of LDL
Cholesterol transport from liver to tissues
What is the function of HDl
Transport excess tissue cholesterol to the liver for disposal as bile salts or to other tissues that need it
What is ‘good cholesterol’
HDL
What stimulates uptake of amino acids into tissues?
Insulin and growth hormone
What promotes breakdown or nitrogen based compounds (proteolysis)
Cortisol
What is the majority of body protein in the form of?
90% DNA and RNA
10% purines, pyramidines, neurotransmitters, creatine etc
How much of the amino acid pool is resynthesised back to body proteins?
75%
Hoe are nitrogen containining compounds lost from the body?
In faeces and urine as urea, creatine, ammonia, Uric acid
As hair and skin
Where are non essential amino acids made from?
Intermediates of glycolysis for carbon base chain
Transammination or ammonia for the amino group
What cycles supply the carbon based chains for non Essential amino acids?
Glycolysis C3
PPP C4, C5
Krebs C4, C5
What happens to excess dietary amino acids??
Converted to intermediates of carbohydrate or lipid metabolism