METABOLISM

ENERGY TRANSFORMATION IN LIVING ORGANISMS

I. PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Production of complex organic compound from
inorganic compounds of CO2 and H2O energized
by light utilizing the chlorophylls and accessory
pigments with the insistent release of oxygen.

CO2 + H2O

sunlight
chlorophyll

C6H12O2 + O2 + H2O

DIAGRAM OF A TYPICAL PLANT,

SHOWING THE INPUTS AND OUTPUTS
OF THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC PROCESS

RAW MATERIALS
Carbon dioxide (from the atmosphere)
stomata
intercellular spaces
mesophyll cells
cytoplasm
chloroplast.

Water (from the soil as capillary water)

by the roots
transported by the xylem
leaf veins
mesophyll cells.

absorb

FACTORS
Sunlight visible light R O Y G B I V specifically Red
and Blue wavelength from 430 nm to 700 nm: red 660
nm, blue 440 nm.
Temperature - 5C to 35C optimum temperature light
increases temperature of the leaf but becomes a limiting
factor a necessary factor in a process which is most
scarce and sets the rate of the process.
Quality of light red and blue wavelength is
absorbed by the chlorophyll.
Quantity of light light intensity or brightness on
clear day more light than in cloudy day
the equator receives intense light at noon
in the poles very little light
Protective adaptations of plants trichomes, cutin
and accessory pigments shading the chlorophyll.
Duration of light number of hours per day
summer longer days and brighter light

 Leaf structure, orientation, size

palisade chlorenchyma, stomata closed
Water greatly affects photosynthesis
soil dry water not readily available
stomata closed transpiration
Chlorophyll
chlo.a dark or grass green absorbs all visible
light except green (430nm-662nm)
C55H72O5N4 mg
chlo.b bluish green found in all green plants,
green algae and green bacteria
C55H70O6N4 mg absorbs 453nm and 642
nm

LIGHT SPECTRUM

PRODUCTS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS PHOTOSYNTHATE

Half for respiration and photorespiration an exergonic
process where the 2 molecules of carbon dioxide are
lost.
- some 3 PGA to cytoplasm for amino acid
- PGAL makes FDP to make sugars, starch on
RuBP
- some phosphate makes glucose
- some phosphate makes sucrose, starch, and
stored
- much for cellulose in the cell wall
- some as secondary metabolites
- chloroplast use ATP to reduce sulfate to sulfhydryl

CHEMICAL REACTION OF
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Photophosphorylation or chemiosmosis light
dependent reaction in the thylakoid membrane.
A photon of light is absorbed by chlo a
molecule (P700) is raised to a high energy level
(excited). The electron will move to (X) Fe4S4 which is
unstable and immediately pass to ferredoxin then to
ferrodoxin NADP+ reductase converting it to
reduced NADPH. The reducatase carries 2 electrons
but reduced one at a time becoming NADPH2.

The oxidized P700 losses electrons so a second light

event in photosystem II P680 absorbs light and the
electron will move to phaeophytin and be oxidized then
to another carrier Q-quinone the electron pass to
plastoquinone then to cytochrome molecules cyto b
and cyto f then to plastocyanin that donates the
electron to photo I. The photo II gets new electron from
water as water split into protons (H+), and O2 which is
released.
In the process, the products are reduced NADPH2
and ATP which will reduced carbon dioxide during the
Biochemical reaction.

CHEMIOSMOTIC PHOSPHORYLATION

 Biochemical reaction light dependent or Calvin cycle

in the stroma
The products in photochemical reaction ATP and
NADPH2 is used to reduce CO2 to carbohydrates
CO2 goes to stroma (CO2 + H2O
H2CO3
H+ + HCO3) + RuBP (5-C sugar ribolose 1, 5 biphosphate)
with enzyme caboxylase/oxygenase or rubisco will
produce unstable 6-C compound that breaks into 2
molecules of 3-C PGA (stable), phosphate cleave to each
3 PGA and the ATP and NADPH will reduced the product
DPGA diphosphoglycerate to form G-3P or PGAL
(glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate or phosphogylceraldehyde)
a 3-C sugar. This will form to 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 C sugars. Some 3GP will reform RuBP and ATP, others to series of chemical
reaction to form FDP (fructose diphosphate) to make
glucose, sucrose, starch, and other compounds.

CAM PHOTOSYNTHESIS

II. RESPIRATION
Breaking down of complex carbon compounds into
simpler molecules generating ATP use to power the
metabolic process of

C6H12O6 + O2

CO2 + H2O + ATP

TYPES OF RESPIRATION
Aerobic respiration requires oxygen as the
terminal oxygen acceptor.
Plants + animals obligate aerobs

Anaerobic respiration or fermentation respiration

without oxygen.

A. GLYCOLYSIS
Occurs in the cytosol; also called the Embden Meyerhoff
Pathway; the initial steps of aerobic and anaerobic respiration;
ATP and NADH are used and oxidized becoming ADP and NAD.
Glucose is phosphorylated by ATP to glucose 6 phosphate then
converted to fructose 6 phosphate. A second ATP molecule
phosphorylates this to fructose 1-6 biphosphate which breakdown
into 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde and dihydroxyacetone
phosphate (DAP) that is converted to 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde
and oxidized to 1, 3 diphosphoglycerate. The 3phosphogylceraldehyde (PGAL) will be oxidized and the electron
will reduced NAD to NADH converting it to 1, 3diphosphoglycerate (high energy) + enzyme becoming 3
phosphoglycerate and Phosphate will be added to ADP
producing ATP (substrate level phosphorylation). Then 3
phosphoglycerate is converted to 2 phosphoglycerate then to
PEP + enzyme, phosphate will be added to ADP to become ATP,
dephosphorylation causes PEP to become pyruvate.

 If no oxygen, anaerobic respiration now removed

all the energy. From each glucose molecule 4 ATPs
were generated and 2 were consumed so a net
production of 2 ATP. The ATP generated in
anaerobic respiration is used for other metabolic
reactions like protein synthesis, nucleic acid
replication, microtubule assembly and ion transport.
The ADP they generate migrates back to the sites of
glycolysis and is rephosphorylated to ATP. The NADH
can be used or regenerate to NAD as reducing
agents and stored. In animal tissues, anaerobically
the electron acceptor is pyruvate, NADH react to it
to form lactate lactic acid. In plants and fungi,
pyruvate is converted to acetaldehyde the NADH
reacts with it forming ethanol.

B. CITRIC ACID CYCLE/KREBS

CYCLE/TRICARBOXYLIC ACID CYCLE
From the pyruvate of glycolysis it goes to the mitochondrial to
matrix.
Pyruvate is oxidized and decarboxylated, the electrons are
taken by NAD becoming NADH and CO2 is liberated (in the
matrix) acetyl (2-C fragment) will attached to co-enzyme A
(COA) becoming acetyl COA then to 4-C oxaloacetate then
to 6C citrate then rearranged to cis-aconitate then
transformed to isocitrate then oxidized by NAD becoming
NADH and decarboxylated forming 5C alphaketoglutarate
then oxidized by NAD and decarboxylated and the 4-C will
attach to COA forming succinyl COA that breakdown to
succinate and COA phosphorylate ADP to ATP. Succinate will
be oxidized by FAD becoming FADH2 to form 4-C fumarate

when water is added will become malate and oxidized

by NAD then transformed to 4C oxaloacetate. The
NADH and FADH2 will drive the synthesis of ATP and NADH
will oxidized back to NAD.

C. ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN/

CHEMIOSMOTIC PHOSPHORYLATION
Takes place in the inner membrane of the Mitochondria
(cristae) and matrix and the lumen.
NADH diffuses to the membrane and pass the electrons to a
protein flavin mononucleotide (FMN) becoming FMNH2 and
NAD oxidized. FMNH2 pass the electrons to ubiquinone (coenzyme Q) then to cyto b then more quinones then to cyto 1,
cyto c, cyto a, and cyto a3 known as cytochrome complex or
cytochrome oxidase which contains several proteins and 2 Cu
ions that mediate the transfer of electrons from the Fe of
cytochrome to oxygen. The oxygen is reduced and picks up 2
protons (H+) from the matrix to form water.
The flow of protons from the crista lumen to the matrix
synthesized ATP, the flow of protons forces a phosphate group
to ADP forming ATP (Chemiosmotic phosphorylation). Each
NADH create 3 ATPs, FADH2 creates 2 ATPs.