Overview of Metabolism

Question 1

What are the 4 building blocks?

Answer 1

Sugars, fatty acids, amino acids, nucleotides

Question 2

sugars

Answer 2

one of the four building blocks; make polysaccharides (carbohydrates)

Question 3

fatty acids

Answer 3

one of four building blocks; makes fats, lipids, membranes

Question 4

amino acids

Answer 4

one of four building blocks; makes proteins

Question 5

nucleotides

Answer 5

one of four buildingblocks; makes nucleic acids

Question 6

major metabolic pathways of “energy metabolism”

Answer 6

glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, b-oxidation, TCA cycle

Question 7

role of ATP and NAD(P)H in metabolism

Answer 7

sources of usable energy; break bonds to biosynthesize complex metabolites; energy currency, not storage

Question 8

electron transport chain

Answer 8

uses reduction potential energy drive to form a proton gradient; forms H20 in the final electron transfer to O2; four protein complexes in the system

Question 9

oxidative phosphorylation

Answer 9

uses proton gradient made in electron transport chain to drive formation of ATP

Question 10

key metabolic branch points

Answer 10

glucose-6-p
pyruvate
acetyl coa

Question 11

metabolic flux

Answer 11

rate of turnover of molecules through a metabolic pathway; REGULATION

Question 12

regulatory properties of glucose transporters with tissue expression

Answer 12

Km of the transporter is dependent on the necessity of glucose in that tissue:
GLUT1- homeostasis and the transporter is ubiquitous, Km value resembles that of glucose concentration in blood;
GLUT2- in the pancreas and kidney, has a high Km value so kicks glucose out of cell into the bloodstream;
GLUT3- in the brain; brain cells need a lot of glucose so Km is low and it takes glucose into cell;
GLUT4- in muscles; insulin regulated transport in muscle and fat