Energy and Respiration 2

Conti…
 Cellular respiration is:
• Exergonic process: Energy releasing process.

• Catabolic process: As glucose break down to

produce energy.

• Oxidation-reduction reaction (Redox

reaction):Has set of metabolic reactions which
has both loss and gain of electron.
• The main idea of cellular respiration is that
energy found in the electrons from the food we
eat can be transferred through a series of redox
reactions to eventually be used to join ADP + Pi
yielding ATP.
• Electrons and energy has a lot of implications
together. Few facts about electrons.
– Electrons are found at different distances from the
nucleus in energy levels.
– Farther from the nucleus=higher energy levels=higher
amount of energy.
– Energy is released as electrons move down an energy
level.
– If electrons are transferred from one substance to
another , energy is transferred as well. This is REDOX
reaction.
 Aerobic respiration
• Respiration is process of breaking down of
organic molecules into simple inorganic
substance which is used to synthesize ATP
molecules to release energy.
• Here, Organic molecule (Glucose) is used as fuel.
• Many cells including brain cells can use only
glucose as their respiratory substrate, however
heart muscle can also use fatty acid as its
respiratory substrate.
• Glucose break down (Aerobic Respiration) can be
divided into four Stages:
i. Glycolysis (Cytoplasm)
ii. Link reaction ( Mitochondrial matrix)
iii. Krebs cycle (Mitochondrial matrix)
iv. Oxidative phosphorylation (Mitochondrial inner
membrane-cristae) Process of Respiration
 i. Glycolysis
• It is first stage of aerobic and anaerobic
respiration.
• It takes place in cytoplasm of cell.
• It is also known as EMP pathway as it was
described by Embden, Meyerhof and Parnas.
 Involve three steps:
1. Phosphorylating glucose to glucose
phosphate, using ATP
2. The production of triose phosphate
3. Oxidation of triose phosphate to produce
with net gain of ATP and reduced NAD.
 Glycolysis
ATP: Adenosine Triphosphate
NAD: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
Note: This is
complete process of
Glycolysis
• Glycolysis is the process of splitting(lysis) one
molecule of glucose(six carbon atoms-6C) into two
molecules of pyruvate, each with three carbon
atoms(3C).

• Half of process is Energy investing phase and half

is Energy yielding phase.

• At first glucose is phosphorylated by using ATP as

glucose is energy rich but doesn’t easily react.
• During energy investing phase two ATP are
required to convert glucose into Glucose
phosphate ,Fructose phosphate and Fructose
biphosphate.

• Fructose biphosphate (high-energy and highly

reactive molecule) breaks down to produce two
molecules of triose phosphate.

• Hydrogen is then removed from triose phosphate

and transferred to carrier molecule/Coenzyme
NAD(Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide).
• Two molecules of reduced NAD are produced by one
molecule of glucose.

• Hydrogen in reduced NAD can be easily transfer to other

molecules and later used in oxidative phosphorylation to
generate ATP.

• Last end product Pyruvate has high chemical potential

energy.

• There is net gain of TWO ATP on breaking per molecule

of glucose.

Net product of glycolysis: 2ATP, 2 reduced NAD

• When free oxygen is available some energy
can be released via krebs cycle and oxidative
phosphorylation. However pyruvate first enter
into link reaction that occurs in mitochondria.
 ii. The link reaction
• Pyruvate is formed in cytoplasm which passes
into mitochondrial matrix through its inner and
outer membrane by active transport.

• Here, it is decarboxylated (carbondioxide is

removed) and dehydrogenated (hydrogen is
removed) and combine with coenzyme A(CoA).

• So that, Acetyl co-enzyme is formed. This is

known as link reaction.
• Co-enzyme A is a complex molecule composed
of a nucleoside (adenine + ribose sugar) with a
vitamin (pantothenic acid, vitamin B5).

• It acts as carrier of acetyl groups to the krebs

cycle.

• Hydrogen removed from pyruvate is

transferred to NAD to form reduced NAD
(assimilatory power).
OR
Net product of link reaction: 2 reduced NAD, No ATP
 (Except pyruvate)………
• Fatty acids from fat metabolism may also be
used to produce acetyl coenzyme A.

• Fatty acid break down in mitochondria in a

cycle of reactions.

• React with co-enzyme A to form Acetyl co-

enzyme A similar with pyruvate from
glycolysis.
 iii. The Krebs cycle
• Also known as Citric acid cycle or
Tricarboxylic acid cycle(TCA cycle).
• It was discovered by Sir Hans Krebs in 1937
(earned a nobel prize).
• It is closed pathway of enzyme controlled
reactions.
FAD: Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide
Note: This is actual Krebs cycle
• Acetyl coenzyme A(2C) combine with Oxaloacetic
acid(4C) to form Citrate (6C).

• Citrate is decarboxylated in a series of steps to

yield carbondioxide given as waste gas.

• Citrate is also dehydrogenated in a series of steps

to yield hydrogens which are accepted by the
carriers NAD and FAD.

• Oxaloacetic acid is regenerated to combine with

another acetyl coenzyme A.
• From one complete cycle, two molecules of
Carbondioxide is formed, One FAD and three NAD
molecules are reduced and One ATP molecules is
generated.

• Krebs cycle make no use of molecular oxygen even

though it is part of aerobic respiration.

• The most important contribution of the Krebs cycle is to

release of Hydrogens to reduce NAD which can be used
during oxidative phosphorylation to generate ATP.

Net product from Krebs cycle:2 Carbondioxide, one

reduced FAD,3 reduced NAD,1 ATP × 2 molecules
 iv. Oxidative phosphorylation
• Most ATP is made in this stage of respiration.
• This stage involve:
– The electron transfer chain
– Movement of protons to inter mitochondrial
space
– Catalysed by ATP synthase.
• It is final stage of respiration.
• It takes place in the inner mitochondrial
membrane/Cristae.
• Reduced NAD and reduced FAD pass into
electron transport chain.
• Hydrogen are removed from two hydrogen
carriers (reduced NAD and reduced FAD).Each
split into its constituent proton (H+) and
electron(e−).
Oxidative phosphorylation :The electron transport chain + Chemiosmosis
• The energetic electron is transferred to the
first series (Complex)of electron carriers.
• There are four types of complexes I,II,III,IV
along with ATP synthase.
• These respiratory complexes make electrons
possible to pass down an energy gradient.
• Electron on moving down the energy gradient
release the energy.
• The energy produced is used to move protons
from matrix of the mitochondria into inter
membrane space.
• This movement cause higher concentration of
protons in intermembrane space than in
matrix setting up a concentration gradient.

• Now protons pass back into mitochondrial

matrix through protein channels in inner
membrane moving down their concentration
gradient.

• Each protein channel is ATP synthase. As

proton pass through these channels, their
electrical potential energy is used to synthesize
ATP by process called Chemiosmosis.
• Finally, oxygen has a role to play as final
electron acceptor. In mitochondrial matrix an
electron and a proton are transferred to
oxygen, reducing it to water.

• This is how process of aerobic respiration is

complete.
• Theoretically,
One reduced NAD=3 ATP molecule
One reduced FAD = 2 ATP molecules BUT
25% of total energy yield of electron transfer is used
to transport ADP into mitochondria and ATP into
cytoplasm.
• Hence, on average
One reduced NAD=2.5 ATP molecule
One reduced FAD =1.5 ATP molecules
No .of ATP molecules produced on different tissue
vary largely dependent on how much energy is used
to move substance in and out of mitochondria.
Table: ATP formed during respiration process
Sites of respiration process
 Hydrogen carrier molecules
(NAD And FAD)
• NAD(Nicotinamide Adenine dinucleotide) is
made by two linked nucleotides.
• Both nucleotides has ribose sugar + Phosphate
group+ Adenine (Nitrogenous base),other has
nicotinamide ring instead of Adenine. Which
accepts hydrogen ion and two electrons,
thereby becoming reduced.
 NADP
• A slightly different form of NAD has phosphate
group instead of hydrogen on carbon on
ribose ring.
• It is used as hydrogen
carrier molecule in
photosynthesis.
 FAD

• FAD (Flavin adenine dinucleotide) is similar with NAD.

• FAD is a very common coenzyme (a cofactor made up

of organic molecules) .

• It consist of two portion.

The adenine nucleotide (adenosine monophosphate)
and the flavin mononucleotide.

• FAD has one nucleotide with Ribose sugar+ Adenine +

Phosphate while other nucleotide has a linear
molecule ribitol instead of ribose.
FAD