Metabolism

Metabolism
 The sum of all the chemical processes
carried out by living organisms

 Divided into:
 Anabolism
 Catabolism
Metabolism

Other Important Reactions

Oxidation: the loss or removal of
electrons
Reduction: the gain of electrons
 Enzymes
 Most of the reactions of metabolism require
enzymes
 Enzymes:
 Most are proteins
 Increase the rate of a reaction by
lowering the activation energy (the
energy required to start the reaction)
 Lowering the activation energy allows
reactions to occur at mild temperatures
in living cells
Coenzymes & Cofactors

 Substances required by some enzymes to

catalyze a reaction

 Coenzymes: organic molecules bound to or

loosely associated with an enzyme (e.g. NAD,
FAD)

 Cofactors: an inorganic molecules (e.g.

magnesium, zinc) that often improve the fit
of an enzyme with its substrate
Aerobic Respiration
 Consists of 3 parts:
 Glycolysis
 Krebs Cycle
 Electron transport & Oxidative
Phosphorylation

 For aerobic respiration the final

electron acceptor is oxygen
Glycolysis
 Glycolysis: the metabolic pathway that
begins with glucose

 It does not require oxygen but can

occur in presence or absence of
oxygen

 Takes place in the cytoplasm of

prokaryotic & eukaryotic cells.
Four Major Events of Glycolysis

1. The transfer of PO4 from ATP to glucose:

substrate level phosphorylation

2. Breaking of a six-carbon molecule

(glucose) into two three-carbon molecules

3. The transfer of two electrons to the

coenzyme NAD

4. Production of energy in the form of ATP

Glycolysis
Glycolysis (continued)
Glycolysis (continued)
Glycolysis
To start the Krebs cycle….
Pyruvic acid loses a molecule of CO2
The resulting two-carbon acetyl group loses H & is
attached to coenzyme A, forming acetyl-CoA
Krebs cycle occurs in the cytoplasm of prokaryotes &
the mitochondria of eukaryotes
The Reactions of the Krebs Cycle
The Reactions of the Krebs Cycle
The
Reactions
of the
Krebs
Cycle
The Reactions of the Krebs Cycle
The Reactions of the Krebs Cycle
The
Reactions
of the
Krebs
Cycle
The
Reactions
of the
Krebs Cycle
The
Reactions
of the
Krebs
Cycle
 Electron Transport & Oxidative
Phosphorylation
 Electron transport
chain (ETC): a
series of membrane
bound proteins that
accept & donate
electrons leading to
the transfer of
electrons to a final
electron acceptor
(oxygen in aerobic
respiration)
Electron Transport & Oxidative
Phosphorylation
 Oxidative phosphorylation: energy captured
as electrons move through the ETC & is
converted into a high-energy bond when
inorganic phosphate (Pi) combines with ADP
to form ATP
 Electron transport & oxidative
phosphorylation take place across the
cytoplasmic membrane of prokaryotes &
across the mitochondrial membrane of
eukaryotes
ATP Yield for Aerobic Respiration
per molecule of glucose
Glycolysis
2 ATP
2 NADH ET/OP 3 ATP 6 ATP

Acetyl CoA formation

2 NADH ET/OP 3 ATP 6 ATP

Krebs Cycle
2 ATP
6 NADH ET/OP 3 ATP 18 ATP
2 FADH2 ET/OP 2 ATP 4 ATP________
TOTAL 38 ATP
 Anaerobic Respiration

 The final electron acceptor is an inorganic

molecule other than oxygen, such as:
 Nitrate (N0 -)
3
 Sulfate (S0 2-)
4
 Carbonate (C0 2-)
3
 Less energy is produced than in aerobic
respiration
 Permits microorganisms to respire in anoxic
environments
Fermentation

 Metabolism of pyruvic acid

 Low ATP yield as compared to respiration
 Types of fermentation:
 Homolactic acid fermentation
 Mixed acid fermentation
 2,3 butanediol fermentation
 Alcoholic fermentation
Fermentation Pathways
A positive (yellow) mannitol-fermentation test.
This test distinguishes the pathogenic
Staphylococcus aureus
Catabolism of Fats

Most microorganisms,
like most animals, can
obtain energy from lipids
Fats are hydrolyzed to
glycerol & 3 fatty acids
Glycerol is metabolized
by glycolysis
The fatty acids are
broken down into 2-
carbon pieces by beta-
oxidation
Catabolism of Proteins

Proteins can be
metabolized for energy
They are first hydrolyzed
into individual amino
acids by proteolytic
enzymes
Amino acids are
deaminated
These molecules enter
glycolysis, fermentation
or the Kreb’s cycle
Summary of the
Catabolism of the major
biomolecules:
Significance of the Study of Metabolism

 Used to identify microbes

 Products produced may be industrially

important (food, beverages, antibiotics)

 Determine relatedness between organisms

 Leads to information of metabolism in

higher organism