ATP

• Organisms need energy for

  • muscle contraction
  • active transport
  • DNA replication
  • cell division
  • protein synthesis
• ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate
• ATP is made of a ribose sugar, adenine base and three phosphate groups
• ATP is a nucleotide derivative
• the energy in ATP is stored in high energy bonds between the phosphate groups
• when energy is needed in a cell ATP is hydrolysed into ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and Pi (inorganic phosphate). this reaction is catalysed by the enzyme ATP hydrolase
• The released inorganic phosphate can be added to other compounds to make them more reactive. This is called phosphorylation
• ATP hydrolysis can be ‘coupled’ to other reactions in a cell so the energy can be used directly rather than being lost as heat
• ATP can be synthesised again by a condensation reaction between ADP and and inorganic phosphate. This reaction is catalysed by ATP synthase