Topic 2/8 - Part 3 Flashcards
Define cellular respiration
- Controlled release of energy from organic compounds to produce ATP
ATP
- Adenosine tri-phosphate
- Energy is immediately available and is released by splitting ATP into ADP and phosphate
State the molecular formula of glucose
C6H12O6
State the equation for cellular respiration
glucose + 6 oxygen –> 6 water + 6 carbon dioxide + 38 ATP
Explain when anaerobic respiration is useful
- When a short but rapid burst of ATP production is needed
- When oxygen supplies run out in respiring cells
- In environments that are deficient in oxygen, for example waterlogged soils.
What is the result of anaerobic respiration in humans and animals
- Lactate
- Net 2 ATP
What is the result of anaerobic respiration in yeasts and plants
- Ethanol and Carbon dioxide
- Net 2 ATP
Explain the commercial use of yeasts
- Yeast is added to dough to create bubbles of gas, so that the baked bread has a lighter texture
- Bioethanol can be used as a renewable energy source (ethanol produced by living organisms)
Explain anaerobic respiration in humans
- Anaerobic respiration can supply ATP very rapidly for a short period of time
- Maximize the power of muscle contractions during exercises
- Anaerobic respiration produces lactate; increase [lactate] is toxic, and there’s a limit to the amount the body can tolerate
- Short timescale for maximum muscle activity
- Lactate requires oxygen to be broken down after exercise
Outline the advantage of aerobic respiration
- Yields more ATP per glucose (theoretically 38 ATP)
- Does not produce lactate
How can one measure the rate of cellular respiration?
- respirometer
guidance: - an alkali is used to absorb carbon dioxide, so reductions in volume are due to oxygen use
- temperatures should be kept constant to avoid volume changes due to temperature fluctuations
What is meant by oxidation and reduction? How is this related to cellular respiration?
- oxidation is the loss of eletrons froma substance
- reduction is the gain of electrons
- cellular respiration involves the oxidation and reduction of compounds
Explain phosphorylation
- the addition of a phosphate molecule to an organic molecule
- makes molecules less stable and thus more likley to react
- phosphorylation can be said to activate the molecule
- the hydrolysis of ATP releases energy to the environment and is therefore termed an exergonic reaction
- many chemical reactions in the body are endergonic and require energy to proceed; thus, if the hydrolysis of ATP is coupled with the endergonic reacions, the endergonic reaction can proceed
- many metabolic reactions are coupled to the hydrolysis of ATP
List the processes of aerobic cellular respiration
- Glycolysis
- Link reaction
- Krebs cycle
- Electron transport chain
Glycolysis
- gives a small net gain of ATP without the use of oxygen
- made up of many small steps (metabolic pathway); in the first step, ATP is used in the phosphorylation of sugar
- ultimately, each molecule of glucose is converted into two molecules of pyruvate
- results in 2 net ATP, 2 NADH
What happens to the pyruvate produced in glycolysis?
- in aerobic cellular respiration, pyruvate is decarboxylized and oxidized
- if oxygen is available, the pyruvate is absorbed into the mitochondrion where it is fully oxidized through a series of steps; the first step is the link reaction
Link reaction
- pyruvate is moved into the mitochondrion matrix
- pyruvate is decarboxylized and oxidized to become acetyl-CoA
- two high energy electrons are removed from the pyruvate and react with NAD+ to produced reduced NAD
- it is called the link reaction because it links glycolysis with the Krebs cycle
Krebs Cycle
- the oxidation of acetyl groups is coupled to the reduction of hydrogen carriers
- two decarboxylizations and four oxidations occur in the Kreb’s cycle
- most of the energy released in the oxidations of the Kreb’s cycle is used to reduce hydrogen carriers (NAD+ and FAD)
- the energy therefore remains in chemical form and can be passed on to the final part of aerobic cellular respiration: oxidative phosphoryliation
- in every turn of the cycle, the production of reduced NAD occurs 3 times, decarboxylation occurs twice and the reduction of FAD occurs once; one ATP is also produced
Define oxidative phosphorylation
- the release of energy stored within the reduced hydrogen carriers (NAD+ / FAD) in other to synthesize ATP by the electron transport chain
- called oxidative phosphorylation because the energy to synthesise ATP is derived from the oxidation of hydrogen carriers
List the 3 steps of oxidative phosphoylation
- Proton pumps create an electrochemical gradient (proton motive force)
- ATP synthase uses the subsequent diffusion of protons (chemiosmosis) to synthesise ATP
- Oxygen accepts electrons and protons to form water
Chemiosmosis in cellular respiration
- protons diffuse through ATP synthase to produce ATP
- the proton motive force will cause H+ ions to move down their electrochemical gradient and diffuse back into matrix
- this diffusion of protons is called chemiosmosis and is facilitated by the transmembrane enzyme ATP synthase
- as the H+ ions move through ATP synthase they trigger the molecular rotation of the enzyme, synthesising ATP
Mitochondrial ETC
- eletron transport chain
- located on the inner mitochondrial membrane
- where oxidative phosphoylation/chemiosmosis occurs
What is the significance of oxygen in the mitochondrial ETC?
- needed to bind with the free protons to form water to maintain the hydrogen gradient
- it is the final electrona acceptor in the mitochondrial electron transport chain
- the reduction of the oxygen molecule involves both accepting electrons and forming a covalent bond with hydrogen
- by using up hydrogen, the proton gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane is maintained so chemiomosis can continue
Outline the three steps of oxidative phosphorylation
- Generating a proton notive force
- The hydrogen carriers (NADH and FADH2) are oxidised and release high energy electrons and protons
- The electrons are transferred to the electron transport chain, which consists of several transmembrane carrier proteins
- As electrons pass through the chain, they lose energy – which is used by the chain to pump protons (H+ ions) from the matrix
- The accumulation of H+ ions within the intermembrane space creates an electrochemical gradient (or a proton motive force) - ATP synthesis via chemiosmosis
- The proton motive force will cause H+ ions to move down their electrochemical gradient and diffuse back into matrix
- This diffusion of protons is called chemiosmosis and is facilitated by the transmembrane enzyme ATP synthase
- As the H+ ions move through ATP synthase they trigger the molecular rotation of the enzyme, synthesising ATP - Reduction of oxygen
- In order for the electron transport chain to continue functioning, the de-energised electrons must be removed
- Oxygen acts as the final electron acceptor, removing the de-energised electrons to prevent the chain from becoming blocked
- Oxygen also binds with free protons in the matrix to form water – removing matrix protons maintains the hydrogen gradient
- In the absence of oxygen, hydrogen carriers cannot transfer energised electrons to the chain and ATP production is halted
Give an overview of the process of oxidative phosphorylation
- Hydrogen carriers donate high energy electrons to the electron transport chain (located on the cristae)
- As the electrons move through the chain they lose energy, which is transferred to the electron carriers within the chain
- The electron carriers use this energy to pump hydrogen ions from the matrix and into the intermembrane space
- The accumulation of H+ ions in the intermembrane space creates an electrochemical gradient (or a proton motive force)
- H+ ions return to the matrix via the transmembrane enzyme ATP synthase (this diffusion of ions is called chemiosmosis)
- As the ions pass through ATP synthase they trigger a phosphorylation reaction which produces ATP (from ADP + Pi)
- The de-energised electrons are removed from the chain by oxygen, allowing new high energy electrons to enter the chain
- Oxygen also binds matrix protons to form water – this maintains the hydrogen gradient by removing H+ ions from the matrix
Explain the structure and function of mitochondria in relation to its role in cellular respiration
The structure of the mitochondrion is adapted to the function it performs:
- Outer membrane – the outer membrane contains transport proteins that enable the shuttling of pyruvate from the cytosol
- Inner membrane – contains the electron transport chain and ATP synthase (used for oxidative phosphorylation)
- Cristae – the inner membrane is arranged into folds (cristae) that increase the SA:Vol ratio (more available surface)
- Intermembrane space – small space between membranes maximises hydrogen gradient upon proton accumulation
- Matrix – central cavity that contains appropriate enzymes and a suitable pH for the Krebs cycle to occur