Cellular Respiration Dec 3

What is Cellular respiration?

The process of releasing energy by breaking down glucose in the presence of oxygen.
It’s about 20 reactions, which breaks chemical bonds, and there’s electron movement. Traps free energy
into Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) molecules.

C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O

Aerobic cellular respiration is the process that extracts energy from food in the presence of oxygen. The
energy is used to synthesize ATP from ADP. The ATP molecules are used to supply energy directly to the
cells for their energy demanding activities.

Anaerobic respiration similar to aerobic respiration in using a series of electron - transferring steps, but
uses an inorganic molecule other than oxygen.

Fermentation does not use an electron transport system. It relies on an organic compound to act as the
nal oxidizing agent. Both anaerobic respiration and fermentation are catabolic processes, meaning they
produce energy.

PHOTO AUTOGRAPHS AND HETEROTROPHS AND CHEMOAUTOTROPHS

Photoautographs: Primary Producers. Carry out photosynthesis.

Heterotrophs: Consumer
- Primary consumer: herbivores
- Secondary consumer: Carnivore
- Decomposer: Fungi
Chemoautographs: organisms that contain their energy from a chemical reaction, but their source of
carbon is CO2.

STAGES OF CELLULAR RESPIRATION

During cellular respiration, a glucose molecule is gradually broken down into carbon dioxide and water.
Along the way, some ATP is produced directly in the reactions that transform glucose.

Glycosis:

- 10 reactions that do not require oxygen

- Glucose molecule is split into two Pyruvate molecules
- ATP is made and converted into NAHD
- The rst phase of glycolysis requires energy, while the second phase completes the conversion to
pyruvate and produces ATP and NADH for the cell to use for energy (High energy electron carrier
used to transport electrons generated in Glycolysis and Krebs Cycle to the Electron Transport Chain).
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-2 ATP
are

consumed,
2 NADH are made which transform to FADH2, producing a total of 4ATP

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Pyruvate Oxidation

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- Each pyruvate from glycolysis goes into the mitochondrial matrix—the innermost compartment of
mitochondria. There, it’s converted into a two-carbon molecule bound to Coenzyme A, known as acetyl
CoA. Carbon dioxide is released and NADH is generated.

Step 1. A carboxyl group is snipped off of

pyruvate and released as a molecule of carbon dioxide, leaving behind a two-carbon molecule.

Step 2. The two-carbon molecule from step 1 is oxidized, and the electrons lost in the oxidation are
picked up by NAD+ to form NADH.

Step 3. The oxidized two-carbon molecule is attached to Coenzyme A to form acetyl CoA. Acetyl CoA is
sometimes called a carrier molecule, and its job here is to carry the acetyl group to the citric acid cycle.

- During Pyruvate two 2NADH are produced, producing 6 ATP

- One CO2 is produced

KERBS CYCLE

- Consists of eight enzyme-catalyzed reactions.

- Seven of these reactions take place in the mitochondrial matrix, and one binds to the matrix side of the
inner membrane.
- Reactions result in the oxidiztion of acetyl groups to CO2, accompanied by the synthesis of ATP,
NADH, and FAD.
- Produces 6 NADH, 2 ATP, and 2 FADH2 for every glucose molecule entering glycosis.
- 2 carbon dioxide molecules are released on each turn of the cycle.

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ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN

Electrons are passed from one complex of the transport chain to another in a series of redox reactions.
Energy released in these reactions is captured as a proton gradient, which is then used to make ATP in a
process called chemiosmosis. Together, the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis make up
oxidative phosphorylation (the metabolic pathway in which electrons are transferred from electron
donors to electron acceptors. These series of reactions releases energy used to make ATP).

Glucose can undergo glycosis to become pyruvate. Pyruvate becomes acetyl CoA. Acetyl CoA will go
through the Krebs cycle to generate NADH and FADH2.

NADH AND FADH2 are going to be used in a set of redox reactions that transfer electrons in oxidative
Phosphorylation to generate massive amounts of ATP.
- Occurs on the inner mitochondrial membrane

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- There are 4 complexes composed of proteins labeled I through IV. Additionally you have a complex
named ATP and synthase, and two other molecules that act as enzymes named: Coenzyme Q , and
cytochrome C.
- Complex 1= NADH dehydrogenase
- Complex 2= Succinate Dehydrogenase
- Complex 3= Cytochrome b-c
- Complex 4= Cytochrome c oxidase
- Complex 5= ATP SYNTHASE
- Enzyme 1= Coenzyme Q
- Enzyme 2= Cytochrome C

Step 1:

- NADH approaches complex I and gives up its proton and electrons and become NAD+. In the process
it donates its electrons to complex 1. When the electrons enter complex 1, it gets supercharged, having
the energy to pump the proton from the mitochondria matrix into the inner-membrane space. As it
does this more and more protons are pumped and and you get the accumulation of protons. THIS
PUMPING IS ONLY MADE BY THE PROTON GIVEN UP BY NADH.
- After awhile the electron will sit in complex 1, and the proton gradient is beginning to form. On the top
of inner membrane space there are much more protons than on the mitochondria matrix.

Step 2:

- Complex 1 will pass it’s electrons to CoQ.

- The electrons will sit there and wait for further instruction.
- At this point FADH2 approaches complex 2.
- FADH2 will give its electrons and becomes FAD. Complex 2 cannot become supercharged and cannot
pump protons from the matrix into the inter membrane space. The electron sits in complex 2, waiting
for further instruction, and eventually being passed to CoQ.
- CoQ is the common electron acceptor from C.I and C.II.

Step 3:

- At this point the electrons are sitting in CoQ and being passed on to complex 3.
- When the electrons go from CoQ to complex 3 it supercharges complex 3 and creates enough energy
potential to pump the proton from the matrix through complex 3 and into the inner membrane.
- Complex 3 is being supercharged by the shuf ing of electrons both from Complex 1 and 2 to CoQ
creating a proton gradient, whereas complex 1 was being supercharged by the electrons coming off
NADH.

Step 4:

- Complex 3 will pass its electrons to CytC, and then get passed to Complex 4.
- The electrons enter complex 4 and supercharge it, having enough energy to pump protons from the
mitochondrial matrix to the inner membrane. Again, the proton gradient continues to form.

Step 5:

- Complex 4 has electrons sitting inside of it and needs to pass to the nal electron acceptor: oxygen.

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- Electrons are passed to oxygen, which splits into two oxygen ions and protons are added creating two
water molecules.

Step 6:

- At this point ATP synthase comes into play, to make us use the proton gradient to generate massive
amounts of ATP.
- Along comes the molecule of ADP to produce ATP, but in order to catalyze this conversion there needs
to be an energy source.
- It’s at this point that ATP synthase takes advantage of the proton gradient formed. The protons will
want to ow from a high energy state into a low energy state to achieve equilibrium.
- Protons will ow from the inter membrane space down through ATP synthase back to the
mitochondrial matrix. ATP Synthase will rotate i response to protons owing down concentration
gradient across the membrane. As this occurs an energy input catalyzes the conversion of ADP to ATP.
- This is how energy is formed, and massive amounts of it is produced for every glucose molecule.

Drugs that inhibit the complexes:

Complex 1: Rotenone
Complex 3: Antimycin
Complex 4: Cyanide and CO
ATP synthase: Oligomycin and Uncoupling Agent

Anaerobic Reactions

Similar to aerobic respiration in using a series of electron - transferring steps, but uses an inorganic
molecule other than oxygen.

FERMENTATION

Fermentation is another anaerobic (non-oxygen-requiring) pathway for breaking down glucose. In

fermentation, the only energy extraction pathway is glycolysis, with one or two extra reactions tacked on
at the end.

Because the electron transport chain isn't functional, the NADH

made in glycolysis cannot drop its electrons off there to turn back
into NAD+. The extra reactions accomplish this by letting NADH
drops its electrons off with an organic molecule.

Lactic Acid Fermentation

- NADH transfers its electrons directly to pyruvate,

producing lactate.
- Muscles cells carry out lactic acid fermentation, though
only when they have little to no oxygen, e.g. during exercise. This
usually happens when there is not enough oxygen in the body, so
lactic acid fermentation provides a way to get ATP without it. The

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process relies on stored energy sources such as sugars or starches, which it can break down to make
simpler molecules and energy. By breaking them down, you get a burst of energy that can help you nish
a race or climb a staircase.
- Lactic acidosis occurs because of exercise, when there’s too much lactic acid in the blood.

Alcohol Fermentation

- NADH donates its electrons to a derivative of pyruvate, producing ethanol.

- First step of of going from pyruvate to ethanol: carboxyl group is removed from pyruvate and
released as two carbon molecule (acetaldehyde).
- Second step: NADH passes its electrons to acetaldehyde, restore NAD+ and forming ethanol.

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