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October 17, 2018 Biochemistry 3D03 Test 1 Duration: 50 min

Note: Be sure to provide complete answers, including all pertinent enzymes and intermediates as required. Answers may be
in point-form, or in the form of a flow-chart or diagram if appropriate. Acceptable short-forms may be used, ie. PDH for
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase. Total marks: 48

For multiple choice questions: Please circle the BEST answer (1 mark each):

1. What are the two members of the redox pair in the following reaction, C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O?
a. CO2 is reduced to the carbon in the sugars and oxygen is oxidized to H2O
b. The carbon in the sugars are oxidized to CO2 and oxygen is reduced to H2O
c. The carbon in the sugars are reduced to CO2 and oxygen is oxidized to H2O
d. Both the carbon in the sugars and oxygen are reduced to CO2 and H2O, respectively

2. Which GLUT is primarily responsible for glucose uptake in the intestine?

a. GLUT1
b. GLUT2
c. GLUT3
d. GLUT4

3. What is the difference between a synthase and a synthetase?

a. A synthase involves no ATP while a reaction by a synthetase involves ATP/GTP being used or synthesized
b. A synthase involves no NADH while a reaction by a synthetase involves NADH being used or synthesized
c. A synthase involves no CoA while a reaction by a synthetase involves CO2 being synthesized
d. A synthase involves no FADH2 while a reaction by a synthetase involves FADH2 being used or synthesized

4. The malate aspartate shuttle requires the _____________________ and __________________ transporters.
a. Malate dehydrogenase/ aspartate aminotransferase
b. Oxaloacetate / aspartate
c. Malate-α-ketoglutarate / glutamate-aspartate
d. The shuttle does not require the need of transporters and instead rely upon membrane potential differences

5. Cyanide is a poison because it inactivates cytochrome C activity by binding to its active site with high affinity. When a person
is exposed to cyanide:
a. No more electrons can be pumped across the gradient
b. The ETC ceases to transport electrons and therefore cannot pump protons
c. NADH becomes fully oxidized by the Krebs cycle so protons are pumped out slowly
d. Pyruvate starts depleting thereby slowing down the Krebs cycle and thus ETC

6. Electrons donated from FADH2 are passed through:

a. Complex 2
b. Complexes 1, 2 and 4
c. Complexes 2, 3 and 4
d. All of the complexes

7. The body maintains glucose reserves in the:

a. Muscle and Kidney
b. Muscle and Liver
c. Liver and Brain
d. Muscle only
8. Glycogenolysis occurs during:
a. Fasting conditions
b. Exercise
c. After a meal
d. Both a and b

9. All are characteristics of inner mitochondrial membranes EXCEPT:

a. contains specific transport proteins
b. folds into cristae
c. contains porin proteins
d. all are correct

10. The direct precursor “building blocks” that contribute to chain elongation in glycogenesis as discussed in class is:
a. Glucose
b. Glycogen
c. UDP-glucose
d. UDP-galactose

11. The only reaction of the citric acid cycle that provides substrate-level phosphorylation is catalyzed by:
a. malate dehydrogenase
b. citrate synthase
c. isocitrate dehydrogenase
d. succinyl-CoA synthetase
e. nucleotide triphosphate kinase

12. Fermentation in yeast allows:

a. The oxidation of NADH by reducing pyruvate to lactate
b. The reduction of NADH by oxidizing acetaldehyde to lactate
c. The oxidation of NADH by reducing acetaldehyde to ethanol
d. The reduction of NADH by oxidizing pyruvate to ethanol

13. What is the major source of ATP for the body at the onset of exercise?
a. PCr
b. Glycolysis
c. Oxidative Phosphorylation
d. Gluconeogenesis

14. At rest muscles use mainly:

a. Glucose
b. Galactose
c. Fats
d. Protein

15. In the TCA cycle, carbon enters the cycle as ____acetylCoA____, condenses with _____oxaloacetate________ to

form ___citrate__ ,and exits as ___CO2 and/or oxaloacetate and/or malate___ with metabolic energy captured as__NADH_,

______FADH2__________ and _____GTP__________. (6 marks)

16. Draw out the last two enzymatic reaction of glycolysis, including a drawing of the structures and names of the substrate
and product, name of the enzyme and names of any cofactors/coenzymes. (10 marks)
17. Recall the reaction: Glucose-1-phosphate + UTP → UDP-glucose + PPi. Where does the energy come from to drive this
reaction forward? (2 marks)

Solution: hydrolysis of the phosphoanhydride bond that removes the last two phosphate groups from UTP provides approx.
31 kJ of energy. Then, hydrolysis of PPi by the pyrophosphatase enzyme releases approx. another 31 or 33 kJ of energy. It is
this extra burst of energy that drives the reaction forward.

18. How much ATP does the complete oxidation of a glucose molecule yield? You must show your work to score full marks. (4
marks)

Solution:
Recall that NADH can yield 3 ATP (0.5 marks) while FADH2 yields 2 ATP. (0.5 marks)
Glycolysis produces 2 NADH (0.5 marks)and 2 ATP (0.5 marks)resulting in 8 ATP.
The conversion of 2 pyruvates into Acetyl CoA yields 2 NADH (0.5 marks)and thus 6 ATP.
Finally from the ETC cycle, 6 NADH(0.5 marks) yields 18 ATP, 2 FADH2 (0.5 marks)yields 4 and 2 GTP(0.5 marks) also yields 2
ATP. In total the 38 ATP is produced per glucose molecule

19. Explain how a rapid burst of energy can be provided from carbohydrate stores while exercising (also include the relevant
enzymes and intermediates). In light of question 18 above, how much ATP is generated from the oxidation of one glucose
molecule derived from glycogen. (5 marks)

Solution: Glycogenolysis can provide a rapid burst of glucose for glycolysis since glycogen is highly branched and can be
broken down at multiple points simultaneously by multiple glycogen phosphorylase enzymes (1 mark). The products of
glycogenolysis that results from the process can directly enter glycolysis. An additional benefit of using G6P is that it
overcomes the first step of glycolysis that requires the input of ATP. Therefore, oxidation of G6P from glycogen via glycolysis
yields 3 ATP compared with only 2 ATP from free glucose (1 mark). Muscle glycogen also provides a local, immediate and
rapid source of energy, rather than waiting for it to be delivered through the blood stream from the liver glycogen stores. (1
mark) Then two other marks that are flexible as appropriate as they support the answer. A fourth mark may be that the
carbohydrate stores are fed into glycolysis which is a very rapid source of ATP due to high number of glycolytic enzymes,
with high Vmax which can provide ATP anaerobically through substrate level phosphorylation.

20. In a real-life application of Biochemistry 3D03, the infamous cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to blood doping during his
cycling career, stripping him of his seven Tour de France titles. Blood doping is the infusion of one’s own red blood cells into
the bloodstream. Red blood cells are responsible for the delivery of oxygen. In a simulation of blood doping, researchers
studied horses that were given different amounts of oxygen to breathe. FIO2 is the fraction of inspired oxygen that the horses
were given. An FIO2 of 0.21 is equivalent to breathing normal oxygen levels of 21% in room air. Look at the data obtained from
one of the horses below, where VO2max is the maximal oxygen consumption that is indicative of exercise performance. Trained
athletes have a higher VO2max than untrained individuals.
a) Explain and interpret the data that you see in Figure 1, below. (2 marks)

Solution: Students may answer this across parts a and b, so I don’t need it to be repeated. I expect that there will be some
overlap and repetition. I want them to comment on the trends and observations and relate them to the mechanism along
the following lines:
• Increasing the fraction of inspired oxygen from lower to higher, results in increased VO2 max
• Which tells us that, by increasing delivery of oxygen to the muscle and the electron transport chain within
the mitochondria, there is more oxygen available to accept electrons and oxidize NADH
• Basically, it appears that oxygen might be limiting performance, and if we can improve delivery, we can
improve performance.
b) In light of this data, describe and explain the mechanisms/pathways by which blood doping improves performance and
would be considered cheating in an athletic competition by referring to the appropriate pathways and enzymes? (5 marks)
Solution: The increase in red blood cells increases oxygen transport/delivery (1 mark). More oxygen delivery to exercising
tissues means that oxidative phosphorylation may then not be limited (or will be less limited) by a lack of oxygen, therefore
increasing oxidative production of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation, and reducing the reliance on anaerobic
production of ATP through glycolysis (1 mark for this idea). Increased oxygen delivery allows NADH to donate its electrons
directly to the mitochondria for the electron transport chain (ETC), rather than rely on lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) for
oxidation of NADH and reduction of pyruvate to lactate (1 mark for this idea). With reduced production of lactate and
resulting lactic acidosis, muscle contraction/performance is not hindered and fatigue does not ensue as quickly (1 mark).
Another mark that is flexible and supports the answer in its entirety.

/48 marks
THE END