Microbial Metabolism and Enzymatic Reactions

Practice flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to microbial metabolism and enzymatic reactions.

Metabolism

The sum of controlled chemical reactions that occur within cells; includes catabolism and anabolism.

Catabolism

The breakdown of nutrients that provides energy and precursor metabolites for anabolism and other cellular functions.

Anabolism

The process of biosynthesis that uses energy and precursors from catabolism to make and assemble subunits of macromolecules.

Redox reactions

Oxidation-reduction reactions that involve the transfer of electrons from an electron donor to an electron acceptor.

NADH

A reduced coenzyme that plays a key role in energy production by donating electrons in metabolic processes.

ATP

A high-energy molecule used as an energy source for various cellular processes.

Substrate-level phosphorylation

Direct enzymatic transfer of a phosphate group from a substrate molecule to ADP, producing ATP.

Oxidative phosphorylation

A process in which ATP is produced using a proton gradient and the electron transport chain.

Cofactors and coenzymes

Additional non-protein helpers required by enzymes for catalytic activity.

Competitive inhibition

Type of enzyme inhibition where an inhibitor competes with the substrate for binding to the active site.

Noncompetitive inhibition

Type of enzyme inhibition where an inhibitor binds to an allosteric site, altering enzyme activity without competing for the active site.

Glycolysis

A metabolic pathway that breaks down glucose to produce pyruvate, NADH, and ATP.

Krebs cycle

A series of reactions that further oxidize acetyl-CoA, generating NADH and FADH2 for the electron transport chain.

Fermentation

A metabolic process that harvests energy from the oxidation of organic molecules, producing ATP without the Krebs cycle or electron transport chain.

Amphibolic pathways

Metabolic pathways that function in both anabolism and catabolism.

Proton motive force

The potential energy stored in a proton gradient across a membrane, used to synthesize ATP.