Metabolism to Light

• Earth's main source of energy

  Sun
• Group of eukaryotic organisms that are not animals, plants, or fungi

  Protists
• Through photosynthesis, light energy from the Sun is converted to chemical energy that different organisms can harness
• Sugars have a sufficient supply of stored energy in their chemical bonds to be used as a source of energy
• The energy from sugar molecules must be transferred to ATP molecules in order for the cell to function.
• ATP powers all the metabolic activities of the cell
• Enzymes are biological catalysts that speeds up chemical reactions
• Substrate is a surface that an organism lives on
• Metabolism refers to all the chemical reactions that transform energy inside the body
• Metabolism takes place in an organized, step-by-step sequence called metabolic pathways
• In metabolic pathways, the product of one reaction becomes the substrate of another reaction
• Two types of metabolism

  1. Anabolism
  2. Catabolism
• Anabolism is the building of large molecules from small molecules
• Anabolism requires energy to assemble small units to form a whole
• A good example of anabolic process is photosynthesis
• In photosynthesis, simple inorganic molecules such as carbon dioxide and water join to form the macromolecule glucose
• Cellular respiration is a chemical reaction in the mitochondria that breaks down glucose to produce energy
• Catabolism is the breaking down of large molecules to form small molecules
• A good example of catabolism is cellular respiration
• In cellular respiration, large organic molecules of proteins are broken down into their simplest usable forms called amino acids
• Proteins are made up of amino acids
• Anabolism: energy is required as a reactant

  Catabolism: energy is a byproduct
• Adenosine triphosphate is made up of an organic molecule adenosine and 3 phosphate groups
• The phosphates in ATP are connected by high-energy bonds
• Most of the energy in ATP is found in the bonds of the triphosphate group
• It is the release of the phosphate at the tip of the triphosphate that makes energy available
• Phosphorylation is the process that energizes the molecule receiving the phosphate group to be used in later reactions
• The cell can perform mechanical, chemical, and transport processes by the release of energy in the ATP
• Phosphorylation is a biochemical process that involves attaching a phosphate group to a molecule or ion.
• 75% of energy is in the phosphate groups
• A phosphate group contains 4 oxygen atoms
• The most important part of ATP is the last phosphate group
• The continuous breakdown of ATP to ADP drives all life processes
• Trillion cells in the body must cleave 1-2 billion ATP to ADP every minute
• Energy coupling is  a process that occurs when the energy from one reaction or system is used to drive another reaction or system
• The possible source of ATP is the continuous recycling of ADP and AMP to ATP
• Estrogen is a hormone that produces energy and promotes the growth of the uterus and breasts
• The cell is considered a metabolic machinery
• The metabolic efficiency of the cell is regulated by biological catalysts called enzymes
• Enzymes are mostly globular protein molecules