Unit 2 Flashcards
What is a catabolic reaction?
- Break down of complex molecules into smaller molecules
- Energy is released
What is an anabolic reaction?
- Build up of complex molecules
- Energy is used
What does an enzyme do within a metabolic pathway?
Catalyses each step
What is the name of an alternative route in respiration?
sorbitol
What are membranes made up from?
- Phospholipids
- Protein molecules
How are membranes described?
Fluid mosaic model
Definition of Diffusion?
Movement of molecules from a high concentration to a region of low concentration down a concentration gradient.
What are the 3 proteins in membranes?
Pumps
Pores
Enzymes
What do protein pores do?
Transport water molecules and certain ions from one side to the other; requires no energy
Span the membrane
What do protein pumps do?
Transport Sodium and Potassium ions across the membrane using energy.
What does Temperature, concentration of glucose and oxygen affect?
Rate of active transport, the rate of respiration and the release of ATP.
What is the role of ATP synthase?
Catalyses the synthesis of ATP
What is an important feature in cell organelles?
(ratio) and what does this allow?
Large surface area: volume
Allows high concentrations and reaction rates
What are lysosomes and what do they do?
They are a powerful digestive enzyme
Localise the metabolic activity of the cell.
What is the main substrate in respiration? and what does it do?
Glucose
Broken down to release energy as ATP
What breaks down Lactose?
B-galactosidase
What is the equation for the breakdown of Lactose?
Lacose = Glucose + galactose
What is a regulator gene?
Codes for a repressor molecule
What is a repressor gene?
“Switches off” the operator gene
What is an Operator gene?
Controls the structural gene by “switching it on/off”
What is a structural gene?
Codes for the enzyme B-galactosidase
What are the stages if Lactose is absent in the production of B-galactosidase?
1- Regulator gene switched on
2- Repressor molecule produced
3- Repressor molecule binds with the operator gene
4- Operator gene is switched off
5- Structural gene is switched off
6- No enzyme produced - no B-galactosidase
What are the stages if Lactose is present in the production of B-galactosidase?
1- Regulator gene switched on 2- Repressor molecules produced 3- Repressor molecule binds with Lactose (inducer) 4- Operator gene switched on 5- Structural gene switched on 6- Enzyme produced - B-galactosidase
What happens when all the lactose has been used up? and what does that prevent?
The repressor molecule can bind to the operator gene; switching it off - enzyme is no longer produced.
This prevents any unnecessary use of resources such as amino acids and ATP
What is the control of metabolic pathways due to?
The presence or absence of particular enzymes and the regulation of the rate of reaction of key enzymes within the pathway
What controls the regulation of metabolic pathways?
Both intra- and extra-cellular signal molecules.
Why are enzymes important?
Speed up a chemical reaction,
lower the activation energy
Remain unchanged at the end of the reaction
Biological catalysts
What happens at higher temperatures within a metabolic pathway?
The reactant molecules absorb more energy and their chemical bonds become more and more unstable.
What is the activation energy?
The energy needed to break the chemical bonds in the reactant molecules and so start the reaction.
What are enzymes made of?
Proteins
What determines the shape of the protein?
Sequence of amino acids
What is the shape of most enzymes?
Globular
What determines the shape of the active site?
Sequence of amino acids
What is induced fit?
How closely the active site fits around the substrate.
What are the factors needed for enzyme action?
- suitable temperature
- pH
- supply of substrate molecules
Orientation of reactants
The substrate molecules can only fit into the active site if they are correctly orientated.
What is the rate of reaction against substrate concentration?
At low concentration, the reaction rate is low. As the substrate concentration increases, more and more of the active sites are filled.
What is an inhibitor?
A substrate that slows down or inhibits the rate of an enzyme catalysed reaction.
What are the 3 types of inhibitors?
Competitive inhibitors
Non-competitive inhibitors
Feedback inhibition or (end product inhibition)
What is a competitive inhibitor?
- Competes with the substrate molecule for the active site.
- Similar shape to substrate
- rate of reaction to be slower; as the concentration of substrate increases, so does the rate of reaction
What is a non-competitive inhibitor?
Binds to another part of the enzyme, altering the shape of the active site
What is feedback inhibition (end product inhibition)
If the end product of a final reaction in a metabolic pathway builds up, it may bind to the active site or another part of the 1st enzyme. The active site is altered and the pathway stops.
What does feedback inhibition prevent?
Prevents too much end product being produced.
What are the 3 stages of cellular respiration?
- Glycolysis
- Citric acid cycle
- Electron transfer
What is the ATP released in respiration used for?
Active transport, DNA Replication, protein synthesis, cell division and contraction of muscle fibres
What is the word equation for respiration?
Glucose + oxygen = carbon dioxide + water + ATP
What can Pyruvate be broken down into during Fermentation?
Lactate (3C) or ethanol (2C) + CO2 (1C)
What happens when Glucose is broken down?
Hydrogen ions and electrons are removed
energy is released
What removes hydrogen ions and high-energy electrons?
Dehydrogenase enzymes
What is Phosphorylation?
An enzyme-catalysed chemical reaction that attaches a phosphate group to another
Where does Glycolysis occur?
In the cytoplasm
What are the two stages of Glycolysis?
- Energy investment stage
- Energy pay-off stage
What happens during the 1st stage of Glycolysis?
Glucose turns into an intermediate
2ATP -> 2ADP + Pi
What happens during the 2nd stage of Glycolysis?
The intermediate turns into 2x Pyruvate
4ADP + Pi -> 4ATP
2NAD -> 2NADH
What happens if oxygen is present during Glycolysis?
Pyruvate enters the second stage; the citric acid cycle then electron transfer stage
Where does the citric acid cycle take place?
Matrix of the mitochondria
Benefit of a folded inner membrane?
increases the surface area so more of the electron transport chain molecules can fit in
What is the main site of ATP synthesis
Mitochondria
What helps maintain high reaction rates?
Accumulation of reactants
What is needed for the citric acid cycle to occur?
Oxygen
What is Pyruvate broken down into?
Carbon dioxide and an acetyl group
What does the acetyl group combine with? and what does it form?
Combines with Coenzyme A to produce: Acetyl Coenzyme A
What does Acetyl Coenzyme A join with when entering the cycle? and what does the form?
Oxaloacetate (4C) Forms Citrate (6C)
Name another Hydrogen carrier present in the citric acid cycle?
FAD -> FADH2
What happens when electrons are passed down the electron transfer chain?
Energy is released
What is the energy used for during the Electron Transfer chain?
Used to pump hydrogen ions from the mitochondrial matrix to the inner membrane space
How to hydrogen ions return to the matrix?
Through a channel in the enzyme ATP synthase
What is needed for the electron transfer chain?
Oxygen
What does the Electron transfer chain produce?
The most ATP molecules
What releases the high energy electrons?
NADH and FADH2
What is oxygen described as during the Electron transfer chain?
The final electron acceptor
What is the word equation for the Electron transfer chain?
Low energy electrons + hydrongen ion + oxygen = Water
e- + 2H+ + 1/2 O2 = H2O
How many molecules of ATP does the electron transfer chain generate?
34 molecules
What is the total amount of ATP molecules from respiration?
38 ATP
What can be broken down to make Glucose, used in respiration?
Starch
Glycogen
What other sugars can be converted into Glucose or other intermediates?
Sucrose, Lactose and Maltose
What can be used as alternative respiratory substrates in respiration?
Fats and proteins
What can fat molecules be broken down into? and what are they converted into?
Glycerol - an intermediate
Fatty acids - Acetyl Coenzyme A
What are proteins digested into? and what are they converted into?
Amino acids - Pyruvate, Acetyl Coenzyme A and intermediates in the citric acid cycle
What piece of apparatus measures oxygen consumption?
Respirometer measures oxygen uptake over a period of time
What is used to measure metabolic rate (apparatus)
Calorimeter
How can metabolic rate be measured?
Monitoring an animals heat loss
In unicellular organisms, how to exchanges occur? (oxygen delivery)
Directly with the external environment
In which type of organisms are closed circulatory systems found?
All vertebrates and few invertebrates
What is an advantage about closed circulatory systems?
Blood is carried at high pressure which enables efficient delivery of O2 and nutrients to the cells of larger and more active animals
Features of arteries :
- carry blood away from the heart
- High pressured blood
- thick muscular walls; withstand the pressure
- narrow central lumen
Features of Veins :
- Carry blood back to the heart
- lower pressure
- Valves prevent backflow of blood
- thinner muscular walls
- Larger central lumen
Features of capillaries :
- Walls are only one cell thick
- Across the thin walls; the exchange of dissolved gases and other chemicals occur
Single circulatory system:
A fish
Two chambers
Blood only passes through the heart once
Disadvantages of a single circulatory system
reduces pressure so limits the rate that the blood can flow
Features of double circulatory systems:
- Birds and mammals
- 2 atria and 2 ventricle
- no mixing of blood
- oxygen rich blood and oxygen poor blood
- blood passes through the heart twice
Features of incomplete circulatory systems:
Frogs and other amphibians
- 3 chambers [ 2 atria and 1 ventricle ]
- mixing of blood