BIOS 20170

W2 Wednesday in-class activity: respiration/metabolic integration

Since processes of cellular respiration use or produce many of the same molecules, their rates are
interdependent. For example, the citric acid cycle uses NAD​+​ and produces NADH, while the electron
transport chain uses NADH and produces NAD​+​. If the electron transport chain slows down, it affects the
rate of the citric acid cycle because it produces less of the NAD​+​ that the citric acid cycle requires.

Please choose one of the following phrases and explain in a sentence or two your reasoning for each
of the following questions/scenarios.

Choose and explain: ​ ​It would increase, it would decrease, it would not change
ATP synthase ​uses the energy stored in a proton gradient to produce ATP.
Conceptually the reaction is: ADP + Pi + proton gradient ATP

1. What would happen to the rate of ATP synthase activity if the proton gradient became weaker?
It would decrease because the ATP synthase converts the energy.

2. What would happen to the rate of ATP synthase activity if ATP was very abundant?
Nothing because ATP is the product of ATP synthase, not the energy force that drives it.

Choose and explain: ​ ​it would get stronger or speed up, it would get weaker or slow down, it would
not change.
Production of the proton gradient: ​The proton gradient required for ATP synthase is produced by the
electron transport chain. Conceptually the reaction is: NADH + O2 NAD+ + H2O + proton gradient

3. What would happen to the proton gradient if NADH levels were low?
It would get weaker or slower, since NADH is a driving force in proton gradient.

4. What would happen to ATP synthase activity if NADH levels were low?
It would weaken or slow down because the ATP synthase relies on the proton gradient to produce ATP,
and since NADH drives the proton gradient if it were low it would do the same to ATP synthase.

5. What would happen to ATP synthase activity if oxygen levels were low?
It would decrease because the addition of oxygen is necessary for the ATP production.

6. What would happen to the strength of the proton gradient if NADH were abundant and ATP was
being used at a constant rate?
It would not change because the efficient amount of ATP is still being produced.
Choose and explain: ​ ​it would speed up, it would slow down, it would not change.
The citric acid cycle​ uses acetyl- CoA and NAD+ to produce the NADH required for the electron transport
chain. Conceptually the reaction is: NAD+ + acetyl-CoA → NADH + CO2 + CoA

7. What would happen to the rate of the electron transport chain if acetyl-CoA was low?
It would slow down because the acetyl-CoA is a necessary component of the for the electron transport
to begin.

8. What would happen to the rate of the citric acid cycle if oxygen levels became low?
It would slow down, the citric acid cycle cannot occur without oxygen.