Biology: Chap. 5/6

Flashcards of vocabulary terms from the lecture notes.

Protease

An enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of proteins into their amino acids.

Amino Acids

Individual amino acids separated from the protein have a strong flavor.

Active Site

The area on an enzyme where the substrate binds and the chemical reaction occurs.

Substrate

The molecule upon which an enzyme acts.

Allosteric Site

A site on an enzyme that is distinct from the active site, where the binding of a molecule causes a change in the shape of the enzyme and alters its activity.

Competitive Inhibitor

A molecule that binds to the active site of an enzyme, preventing the substrate from binding and inhibiting the enzyme's activity.

Noncompetitive Inhibitor

Also known as allosteric inhibitor, binds to the allosteric site of an enzyme, causing a conformational change that reduces enzyme activity.

Feedback Inhibition

A type of enzyme inhibition where the product of a reaction inhibits the enzyme that catalyzes an earlier step in the reaction pathway.

Coenzyme

A biological molecule that helps an enzyme do its job.

NAD+

An oxidation reduction coenzyme that takes electrons from things; the oxidized form.

NADH

An oxidation reduction coenzyme that gives electrons to things; the reduced form of NAD+.

FAD

Analogous to the NAD, this is the oxidized form of a coenzyme that grabs electrons

FADH2

The reduced form of FAD. It wants to give electrons to things.

NADP

Analogous to the NAD, grabs electron pair and turns into the reduced form, NADPH, and is seen more in anabolic reactions to build stuff up.

Glycolysis

The first step of aerobic respiration, occurring in the cytoplasm, where glucose is broken down into pyruvate.

Pyruvate Oxidation

The stage after glycolysis where pyruvate is converted into acetyl coenzyme A.

Citric Acid Cycle (Krebs Cycle)

A series of chemical reactions that extract energy through the oxidation of acetyl CoA into carbon dioxide and high-energy electron carriers.

Oxidative Phosphorylation

The final stage of aerobic respiration, occurring on the mitochondrial membrane, where ATP is produced through the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis.