Fat Metabolism Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about fat metabolism.

Hormone Sensitive Lipase (HSL)

The enzyme that hydrolyzes ester bonds to produce free fatty acids (FFAs) and glycerol during fat mobilization.

Fatty Acid Activation

A process where Acyl chains are trapped in the cell by the covalent addition of coenzyme A.

Acyl CoA Synthetase

The enzyme that Catalyzes a reversible reaction that uses ATP (→ AMP) to form the fatty acyl CoA molecule.

Carnitine Shuttle

A molecule that regulates what comes into the mitochondria for beta-oxidation.

Carnitine Acyltransferase I (CAT I)

An enzyme that moves the acyl chain onto carnitine from CoA.

Carnitine Acyltransferase II (CAT II)

An enzyme that moves the acyl chain back onto CoA inside the mitochondrial matrix.

β-oxidation

A metabolic process where fatty acid oxidation occurs at the β-carbon, involving acyl CoA dehydrogenase, hydratase, dehydrogenase, and thiolase.

Acyl CoA dehydrogenase

The enzyme that produces FADH2 and creates a double bond in the fatty acid chain during beta-oxidation.

Thiolase

The enzyme that releases acetyl CoA, producing a fatty acyl CoA chain with 2 fewer carbons during beta-oxidation.

Serum Albumin

The molecule that fatty acids travel bound to in the bloodstream.

Mitochondria

The location in the body where excess macromolecules are broken down to smaller precursors and energy that can be used to make fats.

Hormonal Response and Fat Synthesis

The process where glucose levels rise, insulin signals for glucose uptake and catabolism in glycolysis

Acetyl CoA Carboxylase (ACC)

The enzyme that Carboxylates acetyl CoA using ATP to produce Malonyl CoA.

Acyl Carrier Protein (ACP)

A protein that moves the intermediates between the different reaction sites in Fatty Acid Synthase.

Fatty Acid Synthesis

A metabolic pathway that occurs in the cytoplasm. Acyl chain synthesis.

Lipoproteins

The molecule used as the transport for hydrophobic TAGs and cholesterol esters throughout the body.

Lipoproteins

A monolayer of phospholipids and cholesterol.

Cholesterol

A molecule that can be modified to a hydrophobic, acyl-carrying molecule called a cholesterol ester (CE) by acyltransferases.

Acyltransferases

Enzymes that catalyze the modification of cholesterol to a hydrophobic, acyl-carrying molecule called a cholesterol ester (CE).

Cholesterol Production

Inhibits HMG-CoA reductase (phosphorylation or statins)

HDL

The lipoprotein that picks up cholesterol to return it to the liver for processing.

Triacylglycerol (Triglyceride, TG)

Extra carbons are stored in these molecules.

Ester bonds

Molecule that connects Acyl chains to a glycerol backbone.

Epinephrine and Glucagon

Hormones that signal via GPCRs to activate lipases.

Malonyl CoA

The product of Acetyl CoA Carboxylase (ACC) that inhibits CATI and shuts down the carnitine shuttle for the import of chains.

Oxaloacetate

This is needed in order to efficiently make ATP from fat.

Liver

The location in the body where TAGs produced in the liver can be released in the blood stream as lipoproteins for storage or use.

Lipases

Hydrolyzes ester bonds to produce free fatty acids (FFAs) and glycerol.

Carnitine

The acyl chain is moved onto this molecule from CoA by Carnitine Acyltransferase I (CAT I).

Thiolase

The enzyme that uses CoA to release acetyl CoA, producing a fatty acyl CoA chain with 2 fewer carbons.