BIOCHEM 2EE3 Lecture Notes - Succinic Acid, Pyruvic Acid, Digestion

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Biochemistry
• Course: BIOCHEM 2EE3
• Professor: Xudong Zhu

Document Summary

Introduction to metabolism metabolism - sum total of all chemical reactions in living cells. Can divide metabolism into 4 groups: carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, nucleotides. catabolic reactions - degrade macromolecules and other molecules to release energy anabolic reactions - used to synthesize macromolecules for cell growth, repair, and reproduction. Methods of metabolic pathway regulation: feedback inhibition product of pathway controls its own rate of synthesis occurs in the first committed step. E3 advantage is obvious --> prevention of intermediate accumulation: feed forward activation (positive feedback) Metabolite produced early in pathway activates an enzyme later in pathway also prevents accumulation of intermediates. A -----> b -----> c -----> d -----> e. E3: allosteric activators and inhibitors, covalent modification addition of phosphoryl groups via protein kinases removal of phosphoryl groups via phosphatases. Major catabolic pathways begins with extracellular digestion of polymers (exogenous) Thermodynamics and metabolism used to understand equilibrium and flux (flow of material through a metabolic pathway) in metabolism.