Sas 9
Sas 9
A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
Introduction
In our last activity, we have discussed about Bioenergetics and the Role of ATP. Remember that adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) transfers energy from the processes that produce it to those that use it. Bioenergetics
describes the transfer and utilization of energy in biologic systems and predicts if a process is possible to
occur. As a recall, can you answer these following questions?
a. What is bioenergetics?
b. What are the difference between enthalpy and entropy?
c. Describe the structure of ATP.
Then, the instructor will outline the new activity, “The Respiratory Chain and Oxidative Phosphorylation”
B. MAIN LESSON
The students will study and read their book about this lesson.
After a meal, generation of energy will take place in three phases. The first phase is the
breaking down of large molecules of food into smaller units by different enzymes such as amylase and lipase.
The process is called digestion. Proteins are hydrolyzed to the 20 amino acids, polysaccharides are hydrolyzed
to simple sugars such as glucose, and fats are hydrolyzed to fatty acids. The first stage does not produced
energy yet, it is just a preparatory stage for more complex processes. The second phase will include the
degradation of numerous small molecules to simpler units and these units will play a central role in
metabolism. Sugars, fatty acids, glycerol and several amino acids are converted into acetyl CoA, the activated
two-carbon unit that is the fuel for the final stages of aerobic metabolism. Some adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
is generated in the second phase, but the amount is small compared with that obtained in the third phase. In
the third phase, ATP is produced from the complete oxidation of acetyl CoA. The third phase consists of the
citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, which are the final common pathways in the oxidation of fuel
molecules. Acetyl CoA brings the breakdown products of proteins, sugars, and fats into the citric acid cycle
(also called the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle or Krebs cycle), where they are completely oxidized to CO . The
2
A. Mitochondria
The outer membrane of the mitochondrion contains porin (also called VDAC), a pore-forming protein
that allows diffusion of up to 10 kD (10,000 Dalton molecular weight) molecules. The inner membrane is much
richer in proteins (up to 75% protein by mass) than the outer membrane and allows only O , CO and H 0 to
2 2 2
freely pass. The inner membrane is the anchor for electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation proteins,
and contains transport proteins for passing common metabolites, such as ATP, ADP, pyruvate, Ca , and++
phosphate. The integrity of the inner membrane is important for operation of the mitochondrion, which
harnesses energy from the chemical gradients it creates across the membrane.
As we have learned in the previous modules, the pyruvate produced by glycolysis can have many fates.
In the absence of oxygen (anaerobic conditions), the pyruvate is converted into lactic acid or ethanol,
depending on the organism. In the presence of oxygen (aerobic conditions), it is converted into a molecule,
called acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl CoA) that is able to enter the citric acid cycle. The path that pyruvate takes
depends on the energy needs of the cell and the oxygen availability. In most tissues, pyruvate is processed
aerobically because oxygen is readily available. For instance, in resting human muscle, most pyruvate is
processed aerobically by first being converted into acetyl CoA. However, in very active muscle, for instance,
the thigh muscles of a sprinter, much of the pyruvate is processed to lactate because the oxygen supply
cannot meet the oxygen demand.
Glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell, but the citric acid cycle takes place in mitochondria.
Pyruvate must therefore be transported into mitochondria to be aerobically metabolized. In the mitochondrial
matrix, pyruvate is oxidatively decarboxylated by the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex to form acetyl CoA:
Recall that glycolysis generates two molecules of pyruvate for each glucose molecule metabolized.
This irreversible conversion of pyruvate into acetyl CoA is the link between glycolysis and the citric acid cycle.
This reaction is a decisive reaction in metabolism: it commits the carbon atoms of carbohydrates to oxidation
by the citric acid cycle or to the synthesis of lipids
The steps:
a. Decarboxylation. Pyruvate combines with the ionized (carbanion) form of TPP and is then decarboxylated to
yield hydroxyethyl-TPP. This reaction, the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of acetyl CoA, is catalyzed by
the pyruvate dehydrogenase component (E1) of the multienzyme complex.
b. Oxidation. The hydroxyethyl group attached to TPP is oxidized to form an acetyl group while being
simultaneously transferred to lipoamide, a derivative of lipoic acid.
c. Formation of acetyl CoA. The acetyl group is transferred from acetyllipoamide to CoA to form acetyl CoA.
Dihydrolipoyl transacetylase (E2) catalyzes this reaction. The energy-rich thioester bond is preserved as the
acetyl group is transferred to CoA. Acetyl CoA, the fuel for the citric acid cycle, has now been generated from
pyruvate.
The tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle), also known as the citric acid cycle or the Krebs cycle, is a major
energy-producing pathway in living bodies. Cells obtain ATP from breakdown of glucose in the absence of
oxygen as in glycolysis. However, most organisms normally are aerobic and oxidize their organic fuels
completely to CO and water. Foodstuffs feed into the citric acid cycle as acetyl-CoA and the acetyl-CoA is
2
oxidized to carbon dioxide and water in order to generate energy. Thus, under aerobic conditions, the generation
of energy from glucose is the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to form acetyl CoA. The cycle also serves in
the synthesis of fatty acids, amino acids, and glucose.
The citric acid cycle occurs in the mitochondrial matrix in the eukaryotes. All the enzymes of the TCA
cycle are in the mitochondrial matrix except succinate dehydrogenase, which is in the inner mitochondrial
membrane. However, in the prokaryotes, the reaction cycle occurs in plasma membrane.
The cycle starts with the 4-carbon compound oxaloacetate, adds two carbons from acetyl-CoA, loses two
carbons as CO , and regenerates the 4-carbon compound oxaloacetate. Electrons are transferred by the cycle
2
to NAD+ and FAD. As the electrons are subsequently passed to O by the electron transport chain, the process
2
of oxidative phosphorylation generates ATP. ATP is also generated from GTP, produced in one reaction of the
cycle by substrate-level phosphorylation. Oxidation of the carbons of acetyl-CoA to carbon dioxide requires
capturing eight electrons from the molecule.
Steps:
1. Acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate condense, forming citrate.
Acetyl CoA + Oxaloacetate 🡪 citrate
Enzyme: Citrate synthase.
Cleavage of the high-energy thioester bond in acetyl-CoA provides the energy for this condensation.
Citrate (the product) is an inhibitor of this reaction.
3. Isocitrate is oxidized to α-ketoglutarate, in a two-step reaction in which there is first an oxidation, and then a
decarboxylation. CO is produced, and the electrons are passed to NAD+ to form NADH and H+. This step
2
and succinyl-CoA, NADH, and H are produced. This step captures another two electrons from the carbons
+
of acetyl-CoA.
Alpha-ketoglutarate 🡪 succinyl CoA; (released CO ) 2
of the eight electrons from the carbons in acetyl-CoA have been captured.
Succinate 🡪 Fumarate
Enzyme: Succinate dehydrogenase.
7. Fumarate is converted to malate by the addition of water across the double bond.
(H O) Fumarate 🡪 Malate
2
Each molecule of acetyl CoA entering the citric acid cycle yields the following:
• Two CO 2
• Three NADH
• One FADH 2
• One GTP
Because each NADH will eventually produce 2.5 ATP and each FADH will produce 1.5 ATP
2
through the electron transport chain, the overall ATP yield from 1 acetyl CoA is 10 ATP (7.5 from NADH, 1.5
from FADH , and 1 from GTP).
2
C. Oxidative Phosphorylation
Energy from fuel oxidation is converted to the high-energy phosphate bonds of adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) by the process of oxidative phosphorylation. Most of the energy from oxidation of fuels in the
tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and other pathways is conserved in the form of the reduced electron-accepting
coenzymes, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FADH ). The electron-
2
transport chain (ETC) oxidizes NADH and FADH and donates the electrons to O , which is reduced to H O.
2 2 2
Because of the complexity of this topic, it is better explained by reading your book. We are only
going to touch key components of ETC in this module. You can watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8VHyezOJD4
d. Electrons from FADH2, produced by reactions such as the oxidation of succinate to fumarate, enter the
electron transport chain at complex II, which contains succinate dehydrogenase. Complex II will transfer
electrons to coenzyme Q, without the associated proton pumping across the inner mitochondrial membrane.
oxygen, reducing it to water. Cytochrome oxidase (complex IV) catalyzes this transfer of electrons.
b. The energy produced by the transfer of electrons from cytochrome c to oxygen is used to pump protons
across the inner mitochondrial membrane.
c. As the protons flow back into the matrix, ATP is generated.
The chemiosmotic model explains how energy from transport of electrons to O is transformed into the
2
high-energy phosphate bond of ATP. The ETC contains three large protein complexes (I, III, and IV) that span
the inner mitochondrial membrane. As electrons pass through these complexes in a series of oxidation–reduction
reactions, protons are transferred from the mitochondrial matrix to the cytosolic side of the inner mitochondrial
membrane. The pumping of protons generates an electrochemical gradient (Δp) across the membrane
composed of the membrane potential and the proton gradient. ATP synthase contains a proton pore that spans
the inner mitochondrial membrane and a catalytic headpiece that protrudes into the matrix. As protons are driven
into the matrix through the pore, they change the conformation of the headpiece, which releases ATP from one
site and catalyzes formation of ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pi) at another site.
dehydrogenase) of FMNH ; also contains iron atoms, which assist in the transfer of the e and H to
2
− +
dehydrogenase) by antimycin A.
Coenzyme Q Accepts e from FMNH (complex I) and FADH (complex II). Transfers e to complex
−
2 2
−
III.
Complex III Contains heme group, in which the Fe accepts the e from coenzyme Q to become
3+ −
Cytochrome c Contains heme group, in which the Fe accepts the e from complex III to become
3+ −
Complex IV Contains heme group, in which the Fe accepts e from cytochrome c to become
3+ −
Note that each NADH yields 2.5 ATP; each FADH 2 yields 1.5 ATP.
Multiple Choice
4. Dihydrolipoyl transacetylase enzyme that is one of the components of the Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
has what cofactor?
a. Coenzyme A
b. Thiamine pyrophosphate
c. Flavin adenine
d. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
5. During the Krebs cycle, which enzyme catalyzes cleaving of a high-energy thioester bond of succinyl CoA?
a. Succinate dehydrogenase
b. Isocitrate dehydrogenase
c. Succinate thiokinase
d. Succinate decarboxylase
7. If there is 6 NADH and two FADH and two GTP produced in two cycles of Krebs cycle, how many ATPs are
2
produced?
a. 25 ATP
b. 15 ATP
c. 18 ATP
d. 20 ATP
10. The enzyme in the Krebs cycle, which is for the substrate-level phosphorylation of GDP to GTP.
a. Citrate synthase
b. Succinate thiokinase
c. Aconitase
d. Succinate dehydrogenase
RATIONALIZATION ACTIVITY (DURING THE FACE TO FACE INTERACTION WITH THE STUDENTS)
The instructor will now rationalize the answers to the students and will encourage them to ask questions and to
discuss among their classmates for 20 minutes.
1. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
5. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
6. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
8. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
9. ANSWER: ________
RATIO:_______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
C. LESSON WRAP-UP
You are done with the session! Let’s track your progress.