The Structure of ATP Flashcards
All organisms require a constant supply of energy to maintain their cells and stay alive
This energy is required:
In anabolic reactions – building larger molecules from smaller molecules
To move substances across the cell membrane (active transport) or to move substances within the cell
In animals, energy is required:
For muscle contraction – to coordinate movement at the whole-organism level
In the conduction of nerve impulses, as well as many other cellular processes
In all known forms of life, ATP from respiration is used to
transfer energy in all energy-requiring processes in cells
This is why ATP is known as the universal energy currency
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is a ………………
what are its monomers
nucleotide
The monomers of DNA and RNA are also nucleotide
Monomers ribose 3 phosphate groups and nitrogenous bases
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the energy-carrying molecule that provides
the energy to drive many processes inside living cells
ATP is another type of nucleic acid and hence it is structurally very similar to the nucleotides that make up DNA and RNA
It is a phosphorylated nucleotide
what does this mean
Involves the addition of phosphates to organic compounds
Adenosine (a nucleoside a compound (e.g. adenosine or cytidine) consisting of a purine or pyrimidine base linked to a sugar.) can be combined with one, two or three phosphate groups
what are these groups
One phosphate group = adenosine monophosphate (AMP)
Two phosphate groups = adenosine diphosphate (ADP)
Three phosphate groups = adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
Don’t worry – you are not expected to know the structural formulae for the nucleotides that make up AMP, ADP and ATP (as in the diagram above)! You just need to learn the different groups that they are made up of ( pentose sugars and nitrogenous bases and how many phosphate groups,).Remember that adenine is a ……….. whereas adenosine is a………….nucleoside (a base – adenine, attached to a pentose sugar).
nitrogenous base
nucleoside
