NUTR 3367 - Carbohydrate Metabolism Study Guide

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts and terms related to carbohydrate metabolism.

Simple Carbohydrates

Quickly digested carbohydrates consisting of monosaccharides and disaccharides.

Monosaccharides

The simplest form of carbohydrates, including glucose, fructose, and galactose.

Disaccharides

Carbohydrates formed from two monosaccharides, including lactose, maltose, and sucrose.

Complex Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates that include polysaccharides and oligosaccharides, which are longer chains that provide sustained energy.

Polysaccharides

Carbohydrates consisting of long chains of monosaccharide units, such as starch, glycogen, cellulose, and fiber.

Oligosaccharides

Short chains of monosaccharides, typically consisting of 3-10 sugar units, such as raffinose and stachyose.

Starch

The storage form of carbohydrates in plants.

Glycogen

The storage form of glucose in humans and animals.

Salivary Amylase

An enzyme that begins starch digestion in the mouth.

Pancreatic Amylase

An enzyme that breaks down polysaccharides into disaccharides in the small intestine.

SGLT1

A transporter that facilitates the entry of glucose and galactose into enterocytes.

GLUT2

A transporter that allows glucose, galactose, and fructose to exit the enterocyte into the bloodstream.

GLUT4

An insulin-dependent transporter that facilitates glucose entry into adipose tissues and skeletal muscle.

GLUT5

fructose into enterocyte by facilitated diffusion

Glycolysis

The metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate, producing ATP in the process.

Hexokinase

An enzyme that phosphorylates glucose in non-liver cells, inhibited by glucose-6-phosphate.

Glucokinase

An enzyme that phosphorylates glucose in liver cells, active at high glucose levels and not subject to product inhibition.

Rate-limiting step of glycolysis

The step primarily regulated by phosphofructokinase (PFK), which is inhibited by high ATP levels.

Cori’s Cycle

The cycle in which lactate produced during anaerobic respiration is converted back to glucose in the liver.

Electron Transport Chain (ETC)

The final stage of cellular respiration that generates ATP using electrons from NADH and FADH2.

Final electron acceptor in ETC

Oxygen, which combines with electrons and protons to form water.

Glycogenesis

The process of converting glucose to glycogen for storage.

Glycogenolysis

The breakdown of glycogen to glucose.

Glycogen Phosphorylase

The key enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of glycogen into glucose-1-phosphate.

Glucose-6-Phosphatase

An enzyme present in the liver that converts glucose-6-phosphate into free glucose for release into the bloodstream.

Amylose

A straight-chain polysaccharide composed of glucose units linked by (1,4) glycosidic bonds.

Amylopectin

A branched-chain polysaccharide primarily composed of glucose units linked by (1,6) glycosidic bonds.

Brush Border Enzymes

Enzymes that break down disaccharides into monosaccharides in the intestinal epithelium.