Molecular Biology Of The Cell Flashcards
Why is step 1 of glycolysis irreversible
Because glucose6phosphate produced is negatively charged therefore cannot leave the cell through glucose transporters. This commits the cell to subsequent reactions
Why is regulation of phosphofructose kinase important?
It is an important control step for the entry of sugars into the glycolysis pathway
What is reaction 4 of glycolysis
Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate is converted by Aldolase to glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate in a hydrolyitc reaction
Enzyme for reaction 5 of glycolysis
TPI —> triose phosphate isomerase
What type of reaction is reaction 6 of glycolysis and what does it produce
Redox and group transfer
Produces 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate and NADH
Enzyme for glycolysis reaction 7
Phosphoglycerate kinase
Net result of glycolysis
2 atp
2 nadh
2 pyruvate
What type of reactions do dehydrogenases catalyse
Redox
What 3 amino acids can be substrates of kinases
Tyrosine threonine serine
What can elevated LDH levels mean
Cell death and tissue damage —> diagnosis of stroke and MI
Which High energy bond joins the acetyl group onto CoA
Thioester bond - readily hydrolysed enabling acetyl coA to donate acetate (2C) to other molecules
Net products of TCA cycle?
2 Co2
3 NADH
1 FADH2
1 GTP
How can amino acids enter TCA cycle
Have their amine group removed by transamination reaction - resulting new ketone acid can join TCA cycle or production of glucose
(Amino group is removed as urea)
Degradation of all 20 amino acids only gives rise to 7 molecules:
Pyruvate, succinyl CoA, acetyl CoA, acetoacetyl CoA, oxaloacetate, fumerate, alpha ketoglutarate
Which TCA cycle defects lead to cancer
Defects in genes of Fumerase, succinate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase
What are important positively and negatively charged amino acids
Histidine: pKa of 6, can donate or accept proton depending on environment
Lysine and arginine: physiological pH of 7, are always protonated, are basic, are positively charged
Aspartate and glutamate: have acidic side chains so release H+ and are negative
Glycerol phosphate shuttle
In skeletal muscle and brain
Cytosolic glycerol 3 phosphate dehydrogenase transfers electrons from NADH to dihydroxyacetone phosphate to generate glycerol 3 phosphate (and NAD+)
(Membrane bound) Mitochondrial glycerol 3 phosphate dehydrogenase transfers the electrons from glycerol 3 phosphate to FAD to form FADH2 which passes the electrons to co enzyme Q which is part of electron transport chain
Also this produces dihydroxyacetone phosphate again
Malate aspartate shunt
Oxaloacetate in cytoplasm is reduced to form malate by MDH (malate dehydrogenase) and NAD+ is formed from NADH - redox reaction
The malate enters mitochondria through malate alpha ketoglutarate antiporter
Inside mitochondria the malate is converted back to oxaloacetate by reverse reaction also catalysed by MDH and this time producing NADH from NAD+
The oxaloacetate the undergoes transamination reaction with glutamate to form aspartate and the keto acid alpha ketoglutarate catalysed by AT (aspartate transaminase)
The alpha ketoglutarate exits the mitochondria into cytoplasm through malate alpha ketoglutarate antiporter
The aspartate exits mitochondria to cytoplasm through glutamate aspartate antiporter
In cytoplasm the aspartate undergoes reverse transmaination reaction with alpha ketoglutarate to reform glutamate and oxaloacetate
Glutamate enters mitochondria through glutamate aspartate antiporter
5 main classes of lipids
Free fatty acids Triacylglycerols (triglycerides) Phospholipids Glycolipids Steroids
What are the 3 primary sources of fats
Diet
De novo biosynthesis in liver
Storage depots in adipose tissue
What are triacylglycerols and why are they ideal for storage
Fatty acids are often stored as triacylglycerols
3 fatty acids joined to glycerol via ester linkages that help neutralise the carboxylic acid group and keep cell in normal ph range
Fatty acids are reduced and anhydrous making them ideal for storage
Why is fatty acid metabolism important
Caloric yield from fatty acids is about double than from carbs
More than half of body’s energy including liver but not brain comes from fatty acid oxidation - enhanced over long duration fasting
First step of beta oxidation of fatty acids
Fatty acids are converted to acyl coA spices by combination with Co enzyme A through acyl coA synthetase action
2 Hugh energy phosphoanhydride bonds of ATP are broken
Cartinine shuttle
Transports acyl CoA from where it’s made in outer mitochondrial membrane into matrix
Acyl group is transferred from acyl CoA to cartinine to form acyl cartinine by cartinine acyltransferase I
translocase imports acyl cartinine molecule into matrix
Cartinine acyltransferase II adds acyl group to coA by removing acyl group from acyl cartinine to form cartinine and acyl coA
Translocase moves cartinine out of matrix
Beta oxidation cycle
Fatty acyl co A enters cycle and undergoes oxidation (catalysed by acyl co enzyme A dehydrogenase) , hydration, oxidation then thiolysis (split into a fatty acyl coA shortened by 2C and and acetyl coA)
Each Cycle produces one NADH and one FADH2
Cycle keeps going until left with a 4C molecules which splits to form 2 acetyl coA
Beta oxidation of palmitic acid (16C)
Cycle happens 7 times overall
Palmitoyl coA + 7 FAD + 7 NAD+ + 7H2O + 7CoA —> 8 acetyl coA + 7FADH2 + 7 NADH
What happens when fatty acid degradation/oxidation predominates and there is loss of balance between beta oxidation and carb metabolism
Acetyl coA cannot enter TCA cycle as needs oxaloacetate (which is not there due to no carbohydrate metabolism)
Instead acetyl coA forms ketone bodies: acetone, acetoacetate, D-3-hydroxybutyrate
Where does lipogenesis happen in adults
Mainly liver, adipose tissue and lactating breast
But can happen in certain cancer cells - use fatty acids to fuel their proliferation - could target FA synthetase in cancer cells during treatment
Differences between lipogenesis and beta oxidation
Beta oxidation Carrier = CoA Reducing power provided by: FAD/NAD+ Location = mitochondrial matrix Oxidation hydration oxidation cleavage
Lipogenesis Carrier = ACP - acyl carrier protein Reducing power provided by: NADPH Location = cytoplasm Condensation (of acetyl coA and malonyl CoA) reduction (by ketoreductase) dehydration (by dehydratase) reduction (by enol reductase)
2 enzymes needed for lipogenesis
Acetyl coA carboxylase
Fatty acid synthase
How are vigorous contraction requirements met in skeletal muscle?
O2 becomes a limiting factor
Glycogen stores are broken down to produce ATP
Locate is formed under the anaerobic conditions and leaves the muscle to travel to liver via blood
What is the function of adipose tissue
Long term storage for fatty acids in the form of triglycerides
Give 3 main roles of the liver
Maintaining blood glucose at 4 - 5.5 mM
Body’s main carb store (in form of glucose) and a source of blood glucose
Lipoprotein metabolism - transport of triglycerides and cholesterol
What can excess glucose 6 phosphate and excess acetyl coA generate
Exc. G6P : glycogen in muscle and liver
Exc. AcoA : fatty acids that are stored as triglycerides in adipose tissue
What can pyruvate and TCA intermediates be used as a source for
Their backbones can be used to make nucleotides which can be used to make amino acids
What does acetyl coA do during fasting
Produce ketone bodies instead of entering TCA cycle
How is bulk of NADPH needed for and Oli can pathways eg cholesterol cynthesis produced
When glucose 6 phosphate enters pentode phosphate pathway to produce nucleotides
How can hypoglycaemic coma be avoided in short term by body
Breakdown of glycogen stores in liver to maintain plasma glucose levels
Production of ketones from acetyl CoA via liver
Release of fatty acids frontman adipose
(Last 2 help as the fatty acids and ketone bodies can be used by muscle leaving more plasma glucose available for the brain)
What non carbon precursors can enter gluconeogenesis pathway and how
Lactate : produced in skeletal muscle from pyruvate when rate of glycolysis > rate of TCA and ETC
Lactate is taken up by liver and converted back to pyruvate in Cori cycle by LDH (lactate dehydrogenase)
Amino acids: derived from diet or breakdown of skeletal muscle
Glycerol: triglyceride hydrolysis gives FFA and glycerol
Glycerol backbone can be used to make DHAP (dihydroxyacetone phosphate)
3 bypass reactions for gluconeogenesis
Pyruvate —> phosphoenolpyruvate
- pyruvate carboxylate for pyruvate to oxaloacetate
- Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase for oxaloacetate to phosphoenolpyruvate (^ glycolysis way is pyruvate kinase)
Fructose 1,6 bisphosphate —> fructose 6 phosphate
- fructose 1,6 bisphosphatase
(Glycolysis way is phosphofructokinase)
Glucose 6 phosphate —> glucose
- glucose 6 phosphatase
(Glycolysis way is hexokinase)
What happens during aerobic respiration during moderate exercise when muscle contraction increases
Increased demand for glucose is met by increased number of glucose transporters on membranes of muscle cells
Adrenaline can have the effects:
- increases rate of glycolysis in muscle
- increases rate of gluconeogenesis in liver
- increases release of fatty acids from adipocytes
What are glucocorticoids
Steroid hormones which increase synthesis of metabolic enzymes concerned with glucose availability
What are the complications of diabetes
Hyperglycaemia - can cause progressive tissue damage
Hypoglycaemia- if insulin treatment dose is wrong
Acidosis (increased acidity if blood) - due to increased ketone bodies
Cardiovascular complications - due to build up of fatty acids in plasma and lipoproteins
(Body acts as if it’s in starvation bc the glucose can’t be taken up by cells)
What is michaelis constant (Km)
The conc of substrate at which an enzyme functions at a half maximal rate (half of Vmax)
How is glucose metabolism in liver and muscles controlled
Hexokinase catalysed first irreversible step of glycolysis (glucose to G6P)
It has 2 isoforms which catalyse same reaction but are maximally active at different glucose conc (different Km values)
Hexokinase I : in muscle, Km is 0.1 mM so is active at low glucose conc and operates at max most of time
Is highly sensitive to inhibition by G6P so during anaerobic conditions where there is no TCA cycle and glycolysis is slow, the buildup of G6P can inhibit Hk I
Hexokinase IV : in liver, Km is 4mM so is less entice to blood glucose conc and less sensitive to inhibitory effects if G6P
G6P produced by hk IV is used to make glycogen
What happens after meal?
Blood glucose levels rise
Insulin secreted from islet cells of pancreas
Reduced glucagon secretion
Effects: increased glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in muscle
Increased triglyceride synthesis in adipose tissue
Increased use if metabolic intermediates
What happens some time after meal
Glucose levels decrease
Glucagon secreted from islets
Reduced insulin secretion
Effects: glycogenlysis and gluconeogenesis in liver
Fatty acid breakdown - as alternative substrate for ATP production and preserving glucose for brain to use
What happens after prolonged fasting? Longer than can be covered by glycogen reserves
Adipose tissues hydrolyses triglycerides to provide fatty acids
TCA cycle intermediates are reduced in amount to provide substrate for gluconeogenesis
Protein breakdown provides amino acid substrates for gluconeogenesis
Ketone bodies are produced from fatty acids and amino acids in liver to partially substitute brains requirement for glucose
What is the site of production of ketone bodies
The liver
In what tissues is CK (creative kinase) present
In all cells at low levels But at high levels in: Brain - BB (homodimer) muscle - MM (homodimer) Heart MB (heterodimer)
How to establish a diagnosis of myocardial infarction
Do blood test
Do electrophoresis
Check MB (just measuring CK activity - eg by coupled enzyme assay - isn’t enough as could be any of the isoenzymes of CK. brain only produces B so has dimer BB. Muscle only produces M so has dimer MM. heart can produce B and M so produces all three isoenzymes - BB MM and MB. So if MB is detected it means that there has been death of heart cells)
Could also use immunological approach: artificial manufacture of antibodies against CK-MB
This would be done with other tests and is used Tod determine size and age of infarct
Other markers for myocardial damage (apart from CK)
SGOT: serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase
LDH: lactate dehydrogenase
Cardiac troponin: troponin is the calcium switch in muscles. Cardiac troponin I and troponin T is are only found in heart tissue so their presence in heart tissue is a specific marker for cardiac infarction - typically appears in serum 48hr after infarction and persists for ~5 days)
When and why is CK found in the blood
Atherosclerosis and blockage of blood vessel stops blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissue
Cells need oxygen for end part of respiration - TCA and ox phos
Cells don’t receive oxygen therefore can’t make as much ATP. Need ATP to pump things in and out of cell and maintain a balance between outside and inside environment eg with ions. Active expulsion of things like Na+ ions by protein pumps in membrane which are membrane ATPases - use energy in form of ATP to pump ions
Balance is lost so cells die
When they’re dying their membrane becomes leaky so they release their contents
So levels of proteins like CK or LDH in serum can be used as indirect indicators of cell death
How can the three isoenzymes of Ck be separated by electrophoresis
They have approx same molecular weight but different pI (Isoelectric point) : pH at which they have neutral charge
Therefore they have different charge at same pH