General

Biology 1 12
Earth Science – Grade 12
Quarter 2 – Module 15: Electron Transport System and Chemiosmosis
First Edition, 2020

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 General
Biology 1
12
Quarter 2
Self-Learning Module 15
Electron Transport System and
Chemiosmosis
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the General Biology 1 Self-Learning Module 15 on Electron

Transport System and Chemiosmosis

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims to help learners
acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely: Communication,
Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while taking into
consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
 For the Learner:

Welcome to the General Biology 1 Self-Learning Module 15 on Electron

Transport System and Chemiosmosis

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an active
learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson

at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest – This measures how much you have learned from the
entire module.
 EXPECTATIONS
In the previous modules, we have already discussed the two metabolic stages:
glycolysis and the Krebs cycle. In this module, we are going to learn on the details of
oxidative phosphorylation which are the electron transport system and
chemiosmosis. Let’s go!

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. identify the organelle/s involved in electron transport system and

chemiosmosis;
2. describe electron transport system and chemiosmosis in terms of the starting
materials and end products of aerobic respiration; and
3. cite the importance of these two cellular respirations to human body.

PRETEST

Directions: Read the statements/questions comprehensively and choose the letter of

the best answer. Write your answers in your notebook.

1. It is the partial partitions in a mitochondrion formed by infoldings of the inner

membrane where electron transport chain is located.
A. Crisps C. Crystals
B. Cristae D. Crystaes

2. An organelle in the cell that is also called the powerhouse where adenosine
triphosphate is produced?
A. Lysosome C. Mitochondria
B. Nucleus D. Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum

3. These are the two by-products of the citric acid cycle that are needed in the
electron transport chain.
A. NAD and FAD C. NADH and FADH2
B. NADH and FADH D. NADH2 and FADH2

4. This is the energy used by the ATP synthase to convert ADP + inorganic phosphate
to ATP.
A. Phosphate C. Proton
B. Protein D. Triphosphate

5. They are called as the energy currency of the cell and is produced in the
mitochondria.
A. ADP C. ATP
B. AMP D. ASP
 RECAP

Activity 15.1

Direction: Look for the words hidden in this pool of letters. Write your answers in
your notebook.

LESSON

Just to recall, cellular respiration has 3 phases which are: glycolysis, the citric
acid cycle (Krebs cycle) and the oxidative phosphorylation (electron transport chain
and chemiosmosis). The first two was already discussed and you have already
learned that they produced 4 ATPs (2 for each process) and they happened in
different location inside the cell. Glycolysis happens in the cytoplasm while the citric
acid happens inside the mitochondrion, specifically in the matrix (see figure 1)
 Figure 1. An overview of cellular respiration

Just like in Krebs cycle, both electron transport chain and chemiosmosis
happen inside the MITOCHONDRIA.
In eukaryotes, electron flow happens in the inner membrane of
mitochondrion, while in prokaryotes, it happens in the plasma membrane. The
structure of the inner membrane (forming cristae) serves it function as it provides
enough space for the copies of electron transport chain.

OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION
Every single organism in this planet knows the importance of oxygen in our
body. We need to take in oxygen so that our body could do its processes and if we
stopped breathing, or just tried holding our breath for too long, our body will respond
like we will feel dizzy or will eventually die.

One of the body processes is that, our cells need oxygen in oxidative
phosphorylation, which is the final step in cellular respiration. As mentioned,
oxidative phosphorylation is composed of electron transport chain and
chemiosmosis. Oxygen is found at the end of electron transport chain where it
accepts electrons and protons to form water. What if there’s no oxygen available
because the person is holding his breath? The electron transport chain will stop, and
chemiosmosis will not proceed. Thus, ATP won’t be produced. If there is no ATP or
enough ATP, cells won’t be that functional like it does and eventually, will die. You
know what will happen after that.

Let us now discuss the two processes under oxidative phosphorylation.

 ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN
What is included in the electron transport chain? It is called as such because
of the connecting multiprotein complexes and electron carriers. In figure 3, we can
see that there are 4 large multiprotein complexes (from I to IV) and 2 small electron
carriers (ubiquinone and cytochrome c).

Figure 2. The Electron Transport Chain

What happens in the electron transport chain? From the name itself, it implies
that electron is being transported through a chain. And we know that there are
multiprotein complexes in the said chain. So, from one complex to the other, the
electron is transferred. Let us go to the details of it.

Remember that the by-products of Krebs cycle are 2 ATP, 6 NADH and 2
FADH2 and from these, the NADH and FADH2 will be used in the electron transport
chain. At the start of the electron transport chain, NADH will approach COMPLEX I
and through oxidation it will become NAD + leaving the proton (H+) in the
mitochondrial matrix and the electron (e -) in the complex I. Complex I being charged
can now pump the protons from mitochondrial matrix into intermembrane space (see
figure 3). Thus, intermembrane space will now have more protons than the
mitochondrial matrix. After a while, the electron from complex I will go to Coenzyme
Q or CoQ (ubiquinone) and will stay there until the next trigger happens.

Next step is, FADH2 (still from Krebs cycle) will approach COMPLEX II. And
same with NADH, FADH2 will be oxidized resulting to FAD+. The proton will be left
in the mitochondrial matrix and the electron is donated in complex II. Unlike complex
I, complex II can’t pump protons thus the electron it carries will then be passed to
CoQ.
REMEMBER!

- NADH only works with Complex I and FADH only works with Complex II.
CoQ is the common electron acceptor from complex I and complex II.
- NADH is a better electron donor than FADH2 because its electrons are at a
high level, considering that it can directly transfer its electron to complex I
unlike FADH2 that feeds it electrons to complex II which can’t pump protons.
- The oxidized form of NADH and FADH2: NAD+ and FAD respectively, will be
reused in other parts of the cellular respiration.
- The movement of electron drives the pumping of protons from the matrix to
the intermembrane space not the other way around.

Let us continue.

After CoQ receives the electron from complex II, it will pass the electrons it
carries to COMPLEX III. Complex III being charged can now pump protons from
mitochondrial matrix into intermembrane space. At this moment, the intermembrane
space has an accumulation of protons from the pumping of complex I and complex
III making it more positively charged than the mitochondrial matrix.

The next step is, complex III will pass the electron to Cytochrome C and from
CytC, the electron will be passed to Complex IV. When complex IV receives the
electron, it will now have enough energy to pump the protons from mitochondrial
matrix into intermembrane space where proton gradient continues to form.

The last part of the electron transport chain is the passing of electron from
complex IV to oxygen (that is sitting in the mitochondrial matrix). Once the oxygen
receives the electron, it will split into two oxygen ions and protons will be added
creating two water molecules.

This is where the electron transport chain ends.

CHEMIOSMOSIS
Still under oxidative phosphorylation, chemiosmosis happens after the
electron transport chain. This is where the greatest number of ATP is produced.
Chemiosmosis as defined by Reece, 2011 is an energy-coupling mechanism that uses
energy stored in the form of H+ gradient across a membrane to drive cellular work.

Remember that in the process of electron transport, the intermembrane space

has a massive proton gradient and the mitochondrial matrix has fewer protons. The
proton gradient created during the ETC is then used in chemiosmosis. At this point,
chemiosmosis will start. The last complex needed here is the ATP synthase (see figure
4). The ATP synthase will use the movement of protons from intermembrane space
to mitochondrial matrix to generate massive amounts of ATP.

ADP or adenosine diphosphate, just lying around the ATP synthase, is waiting
to become ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which is a higher energy molecule that is
most needed by our body. To make this happen, we need an energy source.
 ATP synthase (OpenStax, 2016,
figure 3)

This is where ATP synthase will make use of the proton gradient from
intermembrane space. Since there is imbalance in the proton number, the protons
want to move from intermembrane space (higher concentration) into mitochondrial
matrix (lower concentration) to achieve equilibrium. ATP synthase will be their way
to move, and this will become the energy source of the ATP synthase to convert ADP
to ATP (inorganic phosphate is also part of this process and they are also found lying
around the ATP synthase). Since there is a large number of protons passing through,
a large number of ATP is also produced.

In summary, chemiosmosis will yield about 26 or 28 ATP (Reece, 2011).

Looking back at the previous cellular respiration processes, glycolysis yields 2 ATP
and the citric acid cycle yields 2 ATP. Thus, the total ATP produced from the entire
cellular respiration (from a molecule of glucose) is about 30 – 32 (Reece, 2011).

Figure 4. Oxidative Phosphorylation

 IMPORTANCE OF THE PRODUCTION OF ATP
What if mitochondria failed to produce ATP or enough ATP? There is what we
called mitochondrial disease that are genetic disorders of metabolism
(LumenLearning, n.d.). Symptoms of these diseases includes, muscle weakness,
stroke-like episodes, and lack of coordination.

Adenosine triphosphate, also known as ATP is the “energy currency” of the

cells, “energy of life” and “molecular unit of currency”. In short, ATP is the “energy”
that the cells need in order to function. Without ATP, cells can’t do its job.

We know that every living organism is made up of millions of cells and if these
cells do not perform its function because of lack of energy, the cell will eventually
die. If the cells die, the organism will also die.

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 15.2: Parts of Mitochondrion

Directions: Identify the parts of mitochondrion and what cellular respiration occurs
there. Write your answers in your notebook.

Parts of the mitochondrion (Villareal, 2006)

Activity 15.3: Let’s answer!

Directions: From the figure below, summarize what happens in oxidative

phosphorylation from the starting materials to enzymes/proteins involved to end
products. Use the rubrics as your guide. Write your answer in your notebook.

RUBRICS
Standard Excellent (10pts) Good (7 pts) Fair (4 pts)
Content Information is Information is Information is
Knowledge complete and mostly complete mostly incomplete
accurate and accurate and inaccurate
Originality in Exceptionally well Generally well- Fairly
organization of organized and organized and understandable
ideas understandable understandable

Activity 15.4: QuanranSTORY

Directions: In your notebook, create a comic strip that contains about your current
situation in this pandemic and identify where ATP is needed. Be creative! 😊
 WRAP – UP
Activity 15.5

Directions: Complete these phrases above referring to what you have learned in
this module. Write your answer in your notebook.

I now know something about _____________________________________________________

First, __________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Second, _______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Further, _______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Finally, ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Now you know what I know something about ___________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

VALUING

Activity 15.6
Directions: Read the quotation below and explain it using the knowledge gain after
completing the discussion in this module.

“ATP is like a money: you can’t do something if you don’t have it.”
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
 POSTTEST

Directions: Read each question carefully and choose the correct answer. Write your
answers in your notebook.

1. Aside from the citric acid cycle, what other cellar respiration process happen
inside the mitochondria?
A. Electron transport chain C. Krebs cycle
B. Glycolysis D. Photosynthesis

2. Where specifically does oxidative phosphorylation happen?

A. Cytoplasm
B. Mitochondrial Matrix
C. Inner membrane
D. Outer membrane

3. It is an energy-coupling mechanism that uses energy stored in the form of H+

gradient across a membrane to drive cellular work.
A. Chemistry C. Chemidiffusion
B. Chemiosmosis D. Chemical gradient

4. It is a molecular complex where ADP is converted into ATP with the help of
protons from intermembrane space.
A. ATP synthase C. Cytochrome C
B. Coenzyme Q D. Ubiquinone

5. What would happen if the electron was not transferred from coenzyme Q to
complex III?
A. Complex III won’t be charged thus it will pump protons from
mitochondrial membrane to intermembrane space.
B. Complex III won’t be charged thus it will not pump protons from
mitochondrial membrane to intermembrane space.
C. Complex III will be charged thus it will pump protons from
mitochondrial membrane to intermembrane space.
D. Complex III will be charged thus it will not pump protons from
mitochondrial membrane to intermembrane space.
 KEY TO CORRECTION
POSTTEST PRETEST
1. A 1. B
2. C 2. C
3. B 3. C
4. A 4. C
5. B 5. C

ACTIVITY 15.2
1. Inner membrane – oxidative
phosphorylation
2. Outer membrane – none
3. ATP synthase – chemiosmosis
4. Matrix – Krebs cycle
5. Cristae - ETC

REFERENCES
College, OpenStax. 2013. "The Electron Transport Chain." Wikimedia Commons.
June 19.
Dirty Medicine. 2019. "Electron transport Chain (Oxidative Phosphorylation)." Dirty
Medicine. July 19. Accessed August 18, 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsRQ5_EmxJA.

Doreen D. Domingo, PhD., Janet S. Estacion, Ph.D., Mary Jane C. Flores, Ph.D.,
Aileen C. dela Cruz, Chuckie Fer Calsado, Nolasco H. Sablan and Justin ray
M. Guce. 2016. "Teaching Guide for Seior High School: General Biology 1."
Commission on Higher Education. Quezon City: Commission of Higher
Education, June 16.
Khan Academy. n.d. Oxidative Phosporylation. Accessed August 17, 2020.
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-respiration-and-
fermentation/oxidative-phosphorylation/a/oxidative-phosphorylation-etc.
OpenStax, CNX. 2016. "ATP Synthase." Wikimedia Commons. May 27.
Reece, Jane B., Lisa A. Urry, Michael L Cain, Steven A. Wasserman, Peter V.
Minorsky, and Robert B. Jackson. “Cellular Respiration.” Essay. In Campbell
Biology, 9th ed., 228–45. Boston, CA: Benjamin Cummings / Pearson, 2011.

Villarreal, Mariana Ruiz. 2006. "Animal Mitochondria Diagram." Wikimedia

Commons. May 02.