MID BIOCHEM

7. Metabolism is the reactions occurring in a living sysstem that produce and consume the energy
needed for the organism to exist. Metabolism is an emergent property of life that arises
from orderly
interactions between molecules. Enzymatic activities are regulated to balance metabolic
supply and demand.
Metabolism study includes:
1. Metabolic pathway
2. Metabolic reactions
3. High energy bonds in compounds
4. Thermodynamics of reactions
There are two main reasons for studying metabolism:
- In quantitative terms, them chemical changescatalyzed by the component enzymes of the
route
- To describe the various intracellular controls that govern the rate at which the pathway
functions
The major functions and roles of metabolism in living organisms can be summarized into 4
points:
- To convert light energy into chemical energy into chemical energy (photosyntheis) and
ultilization of that energy ( homeostasis, growth, physic,..)
- To convert the biomolecules ( chemical energy stored) into one’s own molecules
- To polymerize these molecules into starch, glucogen, proteins, and nucleic acid for
storage and other functions
- To synthesize or degrade these molecules to specialized molecules such as antibodies or
glycoproteins depending on the need of the body.

16. Metabolic pathway begins with a specific molecule then altered in a series of enzyme-
mediated steps and result a certain product. Metabolic pathways are often regulated by feedback
inhibition. Metabolic pathways are often considered to flow in one direction. Although all
chemical reactions are technically reversible, conditions in the cell are often such that it is
thermodynamically more favorable for flux to proceed in one direction of a reaction. For
example, one pathway may be responsible for the synthesis of a particular amino acid, but the
breakdown of that amino acid may occur via a separate and distinct pathway.
In eukaryotic cell, different metabolic pathways function based on the position within a
eukaryotic cell and the significance of the pathway in the given compartment of the cell. For
instance, the electron transport chain, and oxidative phosphorylation all take place in the
mitochondrial membrane. In contrast, glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, and fatty acid
biosynthesis all occur in the cytosol of a cell
a) Glycolysis was the first metabolic pathway discovered
b) There are two types of metabolic pathways that are characterized by their ability:
Catabolism and Anabolism. The two pathways complement each other in that the energy
released from one is used up by the other.
In humans, the most important metabolic pathways are:
 Glycolysis - glucose oxidation in order to obtain ATP
 Citric acid cycle (Krebs' cycle) - acetyl-CoA oxidation in order to obtain GTP and
valuable intermediates.
 Oxidative phosphorylation - disposal of the electrons released by glycolysis and citric
acid cycle. Much of the energy released in this process can be stored as ATP.
 Pentose phosphate pathway - synthesis of pentoses and release of the reducing power
needed for anabolic reactions.
 Urea cycle - disposal of NH4+ in less toxic forms
 Fatty acid β-oxidation - fatty acids breakdown into acetyl-CoA, to be used by the Krebs'
cycle.
 Gluconeogenesis - glucose synthesis from smaller precursors, to be used by the brain.