74
well as formally to other biochemical educators and learn
how courses were being managed at kindred campuses.
As Ed Wood cautioned us at the conclusion of three days
of exchanges "'this is not the end, only a beginning".
Acknowledgement
Financial support and good will is gratefully acknowledged from the
IUBMB, ASBMB and the Victorian branch of the ASBMB
References
~Mehler, A (1983) 'Strategies of Biochemical Education', Biochem
Educ i l , 95-118; Vella, F (1991) ~To improve biochemical education
around the world', Biochem Educ 19, 178-181
2Newble, D and Cannon, R (1991) "A handbook for teachers in
universities and colleges', Kogan Page, London
3Slaughter, T (1990) "Teaching with media, a guide to selection and
use', The University of Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher
Education
"~Bloom, B (1956) "Taxonomy of educational objectives: the classifi-
cation of goals', Longmans Green, London
5GPEP panel (1984) "Physicians for the twenty-first century'. Associ-
ation of American Medical Colleges
6Brown, G and Atkins, M (1988) 'Effective Teaching in Higher
Education', Methuen, London
7Mehler, A (1991) A mechanism for accelerating the use of non-
traditional objectives and methods in biochemistry courses'. Biochem
Educ 19, 117-121
~Kuchel, P and Ralston, G (1993) 'Biochemistry Through Questions:
Self Assessment and Review', McGraw Hill, Sydney
'~Aeschc, D and Parslow, G (1988) 'The use of questions from the
Medical Biochemistry Question Bank with the 'Q" instruction pack-
age', Biochem Educ 16, 24-28
mTowns, P, Livett, B and Parslow. G (1991) "Computer assisted
instruction in biochemistry 1991: a summary of answers from a survey
of Australasian biochemistry teaching departments', Education Group
of the ASBMB
~Stefani, L (1992) 'Comparison of collaborative, self, peer and tutor
assessment in a biochemistry practical'. Biochem. Educ. 20, 148-151
Formulae for Calculating the Energy Yield from the
13-oxidation of Fatty Acids
I M AKUNEKWE*
Faculty of Medical Sciences
University of Jos
Jos, Nigeria
Introduction
I offer here some simple formulae for calculating the
energy yield from 13-oxidation of long chain fatty acids
with either even or odd numbers of carbon atoms. It has
to be remembered that ATPs are consumed in the
thiokinase reaction and that ATP results from the
reoxidation of both N A D H and FADH2 originating in 13-
oxidation and in oxidation of acetyl CoA in the T C A
cycle.
The activation process uses 1 ATP but yields AMP and
PPi, equivalent to 2ATP molecules. Fatty acids with odd
*The author was a third-year medical student at the Faculty of
Medicine. University of Jos, Nigeria in 1991
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 21(2) 1993
numbers of carbon atoms require an extra ATP in the
propionyl CoA carboxylase reaction. The G T P produced
in the T C A cycle is counted as an ATP.
Calculation
To obtain the energy yield it is necessary to calculate that
net ATP yield which is given by the difference between
the total ATP produced and the ATP consumed: 1
FADH2 produces 2 ATP and 1 N A D H produces 3 ATP in
the election transport chain.
For a saturated fatty acid with an even number of
carbon atoms (C.,. = No of carbon atoms):
Step 1 ([3-oxidation) unit cycle ATP × No of cycles
Step 2 (TCA cycle) No of ATP/acetyl CoA × No of acetyl
CoA
ATP produced = 5(C.,. - 2)/2 + 12 Cfl2
= [ 5 C . , - 1 0 - 12C.,.]/2
= [17C.,.- 101/2
ATP consumed = 2
Net yield of ATP = [(17C~ - 10)/2] - 2
For a 16-carbon fatty acid [(17 × 16 - 10)/2] - 2 -- 129
Knowing that the free energy yield for the hydrolysis of
ATP to A D P + Pi is 7.2 kcal mol -~ [30 kJ mol-~], the
yield of free energy may be calculated.
Saturated fatty acids with an odd number of carbons
need an extra step to deal with the propionyl CoA.
Step 1 (13-oxidation) 5(C.,. - 3)/2
Step 2 (acetyl CoA) 12(Cx - 3)/2
Step 3 (propionyl CoA) K
The propionyl CoA undergoes carboxylase and then
isomerase reactions to form succinyl CoA which enters
the T C A cycle to yield 6 ATP. Therefore K is 6.
Hence ATP produced = 5(C~ - 3)/2 + 12(C.,, - 3)/2 + 6
: [17 C.,- - 51]/2 + 6
ATP consumed = 3
Net yield of ATP is this number less 3, ie 2 ATP molecules
(equivalent) used in the activation process plus an extra
ATP utilized in the propionyl-CoA carboxylase reaction.
Net yield of ATP = [17C.,. - 51]/2 + 6 - 3
Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to Drs V J Temple and D K Obatomi for their
assistance