function of respiration
the process by which organisms take in oxygen from their environment, use it to break down food molecules (like glucose) within their cells to generate energy (ATP), and release carbon dioxide as a waste productfunction of respiration
aerobic respiration
a biological process where cells convert glucose (sugar) into energy (ATP) in the presence of oxygen, producing carbon dioxide and water as byproducts
anaerobic respiration
a metabolic process where cells generate energy (ATP) without the presence of oxygen, utilizing alternative electron acceptors instead of oxygen to break down glucose and produce a smaller amount of energy compared to aerobic respiration
relation between respiration and fermentation
Respiration and fermentation are both processes used by organisms to generate energy from glucose, but the key difference is that respiration requires oxygen while fermentation does not
advantage of controlled release of energy in cellular respiration
it allows the cell to efficiently capture a much larger proportion of the energy available from a glucose molecule as usable ATP, rather than losing most of it as heat
substrate level phosphorylation
a metabolic process where ATP is generated by directly transferring a high-energy phosphate group from a phosphorylated intermediate molecule (the "substrate") to ADP, producing ATP
different energy conversions involved in respiration
primary energy conversion is from chemical potential energy stored in glucose molecules to the usable chemical energy stored in ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
oxidation
a chemical reaction where a molecule loses electrons, often associated with the gain of oxygen or loss of hydrogen atoms
Reduction
a chemical reaction where a molecule gains electrons, meaning its oxidation state decreases
NAD+
oxidized
a molecule that plays a vital role in cell viability and metabolism
NADH
reduced
NADH is a reducing agent that donates electrons to other molecules. It's involved in many cellular processes
FAD
oxidized
a coenzyme that's involved in many enzymatic reactions and redox processes
FADH2
reduced
a redox cofactor that plays a key role in cellular respiration
dehydrogenase
enzymes that catalyze oxidation reduction reactions ,enzymes that play a role in many biological processes
phosphorylation
the process of adding a phosphate group (PO3-) to a molecule, most commonly a protein
isomerization
the process where a molecule changes its structure to become a different isomer
Oxidation reduction
a chemical reaction where electrons are transferred between molecules, with one molecule losing electrons (oxidized) and another molecule gaining those electrons (reduced)
What are the substrates of glycolysis?
glucose and ATP
What are the products of glycolysis?
two molecules of pyruvate, two molecules of ATP, and two molecules of NADH
How many net ATP are formed
two molecules per glucose molecule
oxidation of pyruvate to acetyl CoA
a pyruvate molecule (a 3-carbon compound) is converted into acetyl CoA (a 2-carbon compound attached to coenzyme A) by losing one carbon atom as carbon dioxide, while simultaneously transferring electrons to NAD+ to produce NADH; this process occurs in the mitochondrial matrix and is essential for feeding the acetyl group into the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) to generate further energy in the form of ATP
Substrates of citric acid cycle
acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate
Product of citric acid cycle
carbon dioxide (CO2), NADH, FADH2, and ATP
how many nadh are produced in citric acid cycle
three NADH molecules
How many FADH2 are produced in citric acid cycle
two molecules of FADH2 for each glucose molecule that is broken down
how many atp are produced in citric acid cycle
two ATP molecules per cycle
What waste product is produced in citric acid cycle
carbon dioxide (CO2
why is citric acid cycle considered a cycle
the final product of the reaction sequence, oxaloacetate, is used as a reactant in the first step, allowing the cycle to begin again with a new acetyl-CoA molecule, essentially creating a continuous loop of reactions
What is the role of NADH and FADH in electron transport
NADH and FADH2 act as electron carriers in the electron transport chain, transferring high-energy electrons obtained from the breakdown of glucose during glycolysis and the Krebs cycle to the electron transport chain
Where are complexes I-IV located in electron transport
within the inner mitochondrial membrane of eukaryotic cells
What type of gradient is established as a result of electron transport chain?
proton gradient
role of O2
acts as the final electron acceptor
What are the final products in electron transport and chemiosmosis
water (H2O) and ATP
chemiosis
the movement of ions, typically hydrogen ions (protons), across a semipermeable membrane down their electrochemical gradient
ATP synthetase
generates ATP by utilizing the energy stored in a proton gradient across a cell membrane; protons flow through the enzyme complex, driving a conformational change that allows the binding of ADP and inorganic phosphate to form ATP, essentially converting potential energy from the gradient into chemical energy stored in ATP molecules
ATP Yield
2 ATP produced during glycolysis, 2 ATP during the citric acid cycle, and the majority (around 28-30 ATP) generated during the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis stage
When does anaerobic respiration occur?
when there is a lack of oxygen available for a cell to perform its normal aerobic respiration
Why is anaerobic respiration needed
to provide a quick burst of energy to organisms when oxygen is limited
What product is formed during anaerobic respiration in yeast?
ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide
What product is formed during anaerobic respiration in humans?
lactic acid
Describe the benefit and disadvantages of anaerobic respiration.
benefit: Allows for rapid ATP production without oxygen, crucial for short bursts of high-energy activity
disadvantage: Generates much less ATP per glucose molecule compared to aerobic respiration
Describe the effect of AMP on phosphofructokinase
acts as a positive allosteric effector on phosphofructokinase, meaning it activates the enzyme
Describe the effect of ATP on phosphofructokinase
ATP acts as an allosteric inhibitor of phosphofructokinase, meaning that when ATP levels are high, it binds to a regulatory site on the enzyme and decreases its activity
Describe the effect of citrate on phophofructokinase
Citrate acts as a potent inhibitor of phosphofructokinase, meaning it significantly decreases the activity of this enzyme, effectively slowing down the glycolysis pathway by preventing the conversion of fructose-6-phosphate to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate
Describe how fats and amino acids feed into cellular respiration.
being broken down into smaller molecules that can then join the existing metabolic pathways