Biochemistry

of Metabolism

BIOL 4167/5167

Dr. Dhirendra Kumar

Office: 423 Brown Hall
Lab: 315 Brown Hall
kumard@etsu.edu
Webpage: http://faculty.etsu.edu/kumard/dkumar.htm

Metabolism:
highly _____________ cellular activity.

In it, multienzyme systems cooperate to:

• Obtain ___________ energy

- solar/ degrading energy rich nutrients.

• Convert nutrients into cells own molecules.

• Polymerize monomers into ______________ molecules

e.g. proteins, Nucleic Acid, polysaccharides.

• Synthesize and degrade biomolecules needed for specialized

cellular functions.
e.g. membrane lipids, intracellular messengers, pigments.

Main focus:

study central metabolic pathways

- _________ in all organisms

1
 Carbon is important for life
Two main groups based on
the chemical source used:

Autotrophs:
Use CO2 from atmosphere as their sole
source of carbon.
e.g. __________________, _______

Heterotrophs:
Cannot use ______ as sole source of carbon.

Obtain carbon from complex ______ molecules like glucose.

e.g. multicellular animals

In our biosphere, autotrophs and heterotrophs

live together in a interdependent cycle.

Autotrophs use CO2 to build

organic molecules generating
_______ from ____ in the process.

Heterotrophs use organic products

of autotrophs as nutrients giving ___
to atmosphere.

CO2, O2 and water are constantly

___________ between:
Auto and Heterotrophs.

Nitrogen is another important element

required by all organisms.
e.g. _________, _________.

• Plants: use ammonia or nitrate as

Nitrogen source.

• Vertebrates: use ____________or

other ______________as N source.

• Some bacteria can fix N2 from

atmosphere.

• Others:
- oxidize ammonia to nitrites
and nitrates

- some convert nitrate to N2.

2
 To maintain proper cycling of C, O and N there
should be a proper balance between the
activities of ______ - and __________.

These cycles (C, O and N) of matter are driven

by huge flow of _________.

Metabolism: sum of all the ________ energy

transformations in a cell.

All these takes place through a series of

______________ reactions which make
metabolic pathways.

Energy relationships:
between catabolic and anabolic pathways

3
Non-linear metabolic pathways

Basic Chemical Principles

Nucleophiles:
• functional group ____ in electrons.
• can _______ electrons.

Electrophiles:
• ______ electrons.

Basic Chemical Principles

Covalent bond: _____ electrons

Break:
Shared electrons divided: ________ radicals
are generated

If shared electron goes to one atom- ________

MORE COMMON.
Generates highly _________ ions

4
 Reaction classes:
1. Oxidation – reduction reaction.

2. Reaction that make or break C-C bond.

3. Internal rearrangement, isomerization and

elimination reactions.

4. Group transfer reactions.

5. Free radical reactions.

Reaction classes:

1- Oxidation – reduction reaction.

Every oxidation is accompanied by ___________.

Oxidation generally _________ energy

- loss of 2 electrons & 2 Hydrogen ions:

dehydrogenation (dehydrogenases)

- C gets covalently bonded to O atom: oxidases

- O derived from O2: ___________

Reaction classes:

1- Oxidation – reduction reaction.

Living cells obtain energy by oxidation of?

_________, _________.

Photosynthetic organism: ________

O2 has high affinity for electrons.

drives synthesis of _______.

5
Reaction classes:

2- Reaction that make or break C-C bond.

Heterolytic cleavage of a C—C bond:

carbanion and carbocation

C—C bond formation: combines a nucleophile

(carbonion) with a electrophile (carbocation)

Reaction classes:
2- Reaction that make or break C-C bond.

Carbonyl groups (C=O) play important role in many reactions:

Read p496-97

6
Reaction classes: 3
- Internal rearrangement, isomerization and elimination
reactions.

redistribution of electrons:
isomerization
transposition of double bonds
cis-trans rearrangements of double bonds

Read p497-98

Reaction classes:
4- Group transfer reactions.
transfer of _____, ______ & ________ groups.

Phosphoryl gp transfer: important role activates a

intermediate for subsequent reaction.

Read p499

Reaction classes:
5- Free radical reaction.

• involves _______ cleavage of covalent

bonds.

• generates ___________.

In general, a "free radical" is any molecule

that has a single _______ electron in an
outer shell.