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Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Metabolism

Overview Metabolism represents all of the chemical activity in a cell, including reactions that build molecules (anabolism) and those that break …
The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. This can be demonstrated within a classic food web …
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy, or the amount of disorder in a system, increases each time energy is transferred or transformed. …
Kinetic energy is the ability of an object in motion to do work or enact change. It can take on many forms. For instance, water flowing down a waterfall …
The energy stored by a structure and location of matter in space is called potential energy. For instance, raising a kettlebell changes its spatial …
Free energy—abbreviated as G for the scientist Gibbs who discovered it—is a measurement of useful energy that can be extracted from a reaction …
Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy necessary for a chemical reaction to move forward. The higher the activation energy, the slower the rate …
The bonds of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) can be broken through the addition of water, releasing one or two phosphate groups in an exergonic process …
The addition or removal of phosphate groups from proteins is the most common chemical modification that regulates cellular processes. These modifications …
Most chemical reactions in cells require enzymes—biological catalysts that speed up the reaction without being consumed or permanently changed. They …
Biochemical reactions are occurring constantly in cells, converting starting substances to different products, usually with the help of enzymes that speed …
Allosteric regulation of enzymes occurs when the binding of an effector molecule to a site that is different from the active site causes a change in the …
Enzymes require additional components for proper function. There are two such classes of molecules: cofactors and coenzymes. Cofactors are metallic ions …
Inhibitors are molecules that reduce enzyme activity by binding to the enzyme. In a normally functioning cell, enzymes are regulated by a variety of …
Enzymes speed up reactions by lowering the activation energy of the reactants. The speed at which the enzyme turns reactants into products is called the …
Monocytes are innate immune cells that can be activated by pathogens and inflammation associated with certain chronic inflammatory diseases. Activation of …
Skeletal muscle is the largest glucose deposit in mammals and largely contributes to glucose homeostasis. Assessment of insulin sensitivity of muscle …
Obesity represents the most important single risk factor in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, a disease which is characterized by a resistance to …