Metabolism: Fueling Cell Growth

Flashcards focusing on key vocabulary related to metabolism, energy, enzymes, and metabolic pathways.

Metabolism

The total sum of chemical reactions in cells involving biosynthesis and energy-harvesting.

Anabolism

Reactions involved in the synthesis of cell components that require energy.

Catabolism

Degradative reactions that produce energy from the breakdown of larger molecules.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The energy currency of the cell, created through substrate phosphorylation, oxidative phosphorylation, and photophosphorylation.

Photophosphorylation

The synthesis of ATP using light energy, occurring during photosynthesis when light drives electrons through an electron transport chain to create a proton motive force for ATP synthase.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

The synthesis of ATP using the energy released from the transfer of electrons along the Electron Transport Chain, which establishes a proton gradient to drive ATP synthase.

Substrate Phosphorylation

The direct formation of ATP from an energy-rich substrate by the transfer of a phosphate group to ADP, typically in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction.

Enzymes

Proteins that act as chemical catalysts, facilitating metabolic reactions by lowering activation energy.

Feedback inhibition

A regulatory mechanism where the end product of a pathway inhibits an earlier enzyme to shut down the pathway.

Coenzymes

Organic cofactors that help enzymes transfer molecules or electrons from one compound to another.

Electron transport chain (ETC)

A series of membrane-embedded electron carriers that transfer electrons from NADH and FADH2 to the terminal electron acceptor.

Oxidative phosphorylation

The process where ATP is synthesized using reducing power (NADH, FADH2) generated during glycolysis and the TCA cycle.

Fermentation

A metabolic process that recycles electron carriers in the absence of respiration, converting pyruvate into other compounds.

Photosynthesis

The process of harvesting the energy of light to synthesize organic compounds from CO2.

Calvin Cycle

The light-independent reactions of photosynthesis where ATP and reducing power are used to fix carbon dioxide into organic compounds.