topic 3B - more exchange and transport systems Flashcards
what is digestion?
a process in which relatively large, insoluble biological molecules in food are hydrolysed into smaller, soluble molecules that can be absorbed across the cell membranes into the bloodstream and delivered to cells in the body
the role of enzymes in digestion:
enzymes are essential for the process of digestion as they catalyse the hydrolysis
what are the products of digestion used for?
-to provide cells with energy (via respiration)
-to build other molecules for cell growth, repair and function
protein + hydrolysation
amino acid
carbohydrates + hydrolysation
simple sugars
lipids + hydrolysation
glycerol and fatty acids
what does the human digestive system include?
-glands
-mouth
-stomach
-small & large intenstines
-liver
-oesophagus
the role of the mouth (digestive system)
-contains teeth which break food into smaller pieces and increase its surface area to volume ratio
-carbohydrate digestion begins here
-the food is shaped into a bolus (ball) by the tongue and lubricated in saliva so it can be swallowed easily
the role of the oesophagus
(digestive system)
-a hollow tube with muscular walls through which food passes from the mouth to the stomach
-contractions of the smooth muscle in the wall of the oesophagus help move food down towards the stomach
the role of the stomach
(digestive system)
protein digestion begins here
the role of small intestine
(digestive system)
-food passes through the lumen
-the wall of the small intestine contains smooth muscle tissue, which rhythmically contracts to move food along
-soluble food molecules are absorbed into the bloodstream across the wall of the small intestine (by diffusion and active transport)
-ileum is long and lined with finger-Like villi to increase the surface area over which absorption can take place
-eater absorption also occurs here
the role of the large intestine
(digestive system)
-any water remaining in food that was not able to be digested is absorbed here, along with vitamins and minerals
-undigested food material (faeces) is stored in the rectum and removed through the anus
enzymes in the digestive system:
-enzymes are substrate specific (different enzymes digest and breakdown the different biological molecules contained in food)
-digestive enzymes are extracellular
what are the three main types of digestive enzymes?
carbohydrases, proteases and lipases
where does the digestion of carbohydrates occurs?
in the mouth and the small intestine
what is amylase?
a carbohydrase that hydrolyses (breaks down) starch into maltose
what happens to maltose?
it is hydrolysed into glucose by the enzyme maltase
where is amylase made?
in the salivary glands, the pancreas and the small intestine
what is maltase?
a disaccharidase which is found in cell-surface membranes of the epithelial cells lining the small intestine
which other disaccharidases are in the cell-surface membrane of the epithelial cells in the small intestine and what do they do?
sucrase and lactase:
they hydrolyse sucrose and lactose respectively
this allows the absorption of monosaccharides into epithelial cells of the small intestine which pass them into the blood stream
structure & function of the lining of the small intenstine:
the lining of the small intestine is folded and there are microvilli present:
this increases the surface area
→ allows more membrane-bound disaccharidases to fit into the membrane
→ allows more absorption to take place
the digestion of starch by enzymes (arrows)
(lumen of the gut)
starch
→ amylase
maltose
→ maltase
glucose
(inside the epithelial cells of the small intestine)
the process of maltose being hydrolysed:
1) maltose molecules in the lumen of the gut diffuse towards membrane and bind to maltase
2) the membrane bound maltase hydrolyses maltose
3) two molecules of glucose are produced, which pass into the cytoplasm
which enzymes are involved in the digestion of protein?
-endopeptidase
-exopeptidase
-dipeptidase
where does protein digestion begin?
in the lumen of the stomach by protease enzymes
(PART 1) process of protein digestion in the stomach:
1) endopeptidase (a protease enzyme) hydrolyses peptide bonds within proteins, creating smaller sized protein chunks
2) this enzyme is secreted along with hydrochloric acid, meaning the pH in the stomach is low and therefore acidic
3) the partially digested food moves from the stomach into the small intestine
(PART 2) process of protein digestion in the stomach:
1) fluid secreted by the pancreas travels to the small intestine and helps to neutralize the acidic mixture and increase the pH. this pancreatic juice contains endopeptidases and exopeptidase
2) lastly, there are dipeptidase enzymes found within the cell surface membrane of the epithelial cells in the small intestine
what do endopeptidases do?
they hydrolyse peptide bonds within polypeptide chains to produce dipeptides
what do exopeptidases do?
they hydrolyse peptide bonds at the ends of polypeptide chains to produce dipeptides
what does dipeptidase do?
it hydrolyses dipeptides into amino acids which are released into the cytoplasm of the cell
the digestion of protein by enzymes (arrows)
(lumen of the gut)
protein
→ (endopeptidase)
polypeptides
→ (exopeptidase)
dipeptides
→ (dipeptidase)
amino acids
(inside the cell-surface membrane of an epithelial cell)
the process of dipeptides being hydrolysed:
(lumen of the gut)
1) dipeptides diffuse towards membrane and bind to dipeptidase (enzyme-substrate complex)
2) dipeptides are hydrolysed into two amino acids which pass into the cytoplasm of the epithelial cell
does digestion of lipids happen immediately?
-there are several stages of breakdown that lipids go through prior to digestion
stages before digestion of lipase:
1) in the stomach, solid lipids are turned into a fatty liquid consisting of fat droplets
2) when the fatty liquid arrives in the small intestine, bile which has been made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder is secreted
3) the bile salts bind to the fatty liquid and break the fatty droplets into smaller ones via emulsification
what does bile contain?
bile salts
what is the purpose of emulsification?
helps to increase the surface area of the fatty droplets for action of digestive enzymes
digestion of lipids
-takes place solely in the lumen of the small intestine
-lipase enzymes break down lipids to glycerol and fatty acids
the digestion of lipids by enzymes (arrows)
lipids (large fat globule)
→ (bile salts)
emulsified lipids (small fat droplets)
→ (lipase)
fatty acids & glycerol
what is amylase’s substrate?
carbohydrates
where is amylase produced and released?
produced:
salivary glands & pancreas
released:
mouth & small intestines
what is maltases substrate?
disaccharides
where is maltese produced and released?
produced:
small intestine
released:
small intestine
what is the substrate of endopeptidases?
proteins
where are endopeptidases produced and released?
produced:
stomach & pancreas
released:
stomach & small intestines
where are exopeptidases produced and released?
produced:
pancreas
released:
small intestine
what is the substrate of dipeptidase?
dipeptidases
where are dipeptidases produced and released?
produced:
small intestine
released:
small intestine
what is the substrate of lipase?
lipids
where is lipase produced and released?
produced:
pancreas
released:
small intestine
what happens to the products of digestion?
they are absorbed through the intestinal lining
what is the mechanism of absorption for monosaccharides and amino acids?
co-transport
what is the mechanism of absorption for lipids?
a different method than co-transport
what is found within the cell-surface membrane of the epithelial cells in the ileum? (absorption of amino acids)
specific amino acid co-transport proteins (carrier molecules)
when can amino acids be co-transported?
when there are sodium ions present, for every sodium ion that is transported into the cell, an amino acid is transported in
(through a sodium dependent amino acid carrier protein)
which process is used for transport of amino acids?
facilitated diffusion, which requires the movement of molecules down their concentration gradient
where do amino acids travel?
amino acids diffuse across the epithelial cell and then pass into the capillaries via facilitated diffusion (through a channel protein)
what is the concentration gradient of sodium between?
from the lumen of the ileum into the epithelial cell