Cellular Physiology ch 7

These flashcards cover key concepts and vocabulary from the Cellular Physiology lecture notes concerning cellular energy metabolism.

ATP

The universal energy molecule of all cell types.

Aerobic respiration

The preferred mechanism of ATP generation in eukaryotic cells that requires O2.

Photosynthesis

The metabolic mechanism used by cells with chloroplasts to generate ATP from light energy.

Substrate level phosphorylation

A chemical reaction that directly generates ATP from ADP and a substrate.

Oxidative phosphorylation

The process that generates ATP using a proton gradient created by an electron transport chain.

Glycolysis

The first step of cellular respiration that breaks down glucose into pyruvate.

Proton motive force (PMF)

The energy stored as a gradient of protons across a membrane.

Citric acid cycle

Also known as the Krebs cycle, a series of reactions that oxidizes acetyl-CoA to produce ATP, NADH, and FADH2.

Fermentation

An alternative process that generates ATP without oxygen and is less efficient than aerobic respiration.

NADH

A reducing power energy storage molecule produced during glycolysis and the citric acid cycle.

FADH2

Another reducing power energy storage molecule generated during the citric acid cycle.

RUBISCO

The enzyme that fixes CO2 in the Calvin cycle during photosynthesis.

Electron transport chain (ETC)

A series of protein complexes that transfer electrons and create a proton gradient.

Chemiosmotic theory

The theory that describes how ATP is generated from a proton gradient across a membrane.

Thylakoid membranes

Internal membranes in chloroplasts where photosynthesis occurs.

Calvin cycle

The set of chemical reactions in photosynthesis that fixes CO2 and produces organic compounds.

Glyceraldehyde–3-P

A three-carbon sugar produced in the Calvin cycle that can be used to generate glucose.

Pyruvate-Dehydrogenase (PDH)

The enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA.

F0F1-ATP-Synthase

The enzyme that synthesizes ATP using the proton gradient created in mitochondria and chloroplasts.

Krebs cycle

Another name for the citric acid cycle that produces energy carriers (NADH and FADH2).

Prokaryotic cells

Cells that can use fermentation exclusively for ATP production, showcasing metabolic diversity.