Cellular Energetics

Energy and Enzymes

 Chemical Reactions and Energy

• Exergonic reaction : releases energy (the products have LESS

energy than the reactants)
• Endergonic reaction: requires an input of energy (the products have
MORE energy than the reactants)

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 Chemical Reactions and Energy (con’t)

– All reactions in an organism is called

metabolism
– A metabolic pathway: a series of chemical
reactions that either break down or build up a
complex molecule

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 Chemical Reactions and Energy (con’t)

• Three main types of cellular work:

– Chemical work—ex. endergonic reactions
– Transport work—ex. pumping substances
across membranes
– Mechanical work—ex. beating of cilia
• Cells manage their energy and accomplish work
by energy coupling—the use of exergonic
processes to drive an endergonic one

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 ATP
• ATP: a renewable source of energy for the
cell

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Energy from Energy for
exergonic endergonic
reactions reactions
 Enzymes
– Energy must be available to break bonds and
form new ones
– This energy is called energy of activation (EA)

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 Enzymes
• The cell uses catalysis to speed up
reactions
– Catalysis is accomplished by enzymes
– Enzymes speed up the rate of the reaction by
lowering the EA ; they are not used up in the
process
– Each enzyme has a particular target molecule
called the substrate

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 Self Quiz
• Which of the following statements about
enzymes is true?
• A. They are carbohydrates.
• B. They have several different substrates.
• C. They lower the activation energy of a
reaction.
• D. They are used up in chemical
reactions.
Reaction
without EA without
enzyme enzyme
EA with
enzyme
Reactants
Net
Reaction with change
enzyme in energy
(the same)

Products
Progress of the reaction
 Self-Quiz
• According to the previous diagram, enzymes act
mostly like
• A. A ski-lift, getting to the top of the energy ‘hill’.
• B. A bulldozer, plowing the energy ‘hill’ down to
a more manageable level.
• C. A rollercoaster, with the energy falling to zero
at the completion of the reaction.
• D. Any of the above, depending on whether the
reaction is endergonic or exergonic.
 Enzymes

– An enzyme has an active site where its

substrate binds.
– Enzymes help convert substrates (reactants) to
products.

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1 Enzyme available
with empty active
site
Active site
Substrate
(sucrose)
2 Substrate binds
to enzyme with
induced fit
Enzyme
Glucose (sucrase)

Fructose

4 Products are
released 3 Substrate is
converted to
products
 For optimum activity, enzymes require certain
environmental conditions

– Optimally, human enzymes function best at

37ºC, or body temperature
– High temperature will denature human enzymes
– Also, most enzymes require a pH around 7 for best
results
– Where in the body would an optimum pH of 7 most
likely be an exception?
– A. Mouth
– B. Liver
– C. Stomach
– D. Muscle

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 Enzymes
• Some enzymes require nonprotein helpers
– Cofactors are inorganic, such as zinc, iron, or
copper (minerals)
– Coenzymes are organic molecules and are
often vitamins

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 Enzymes
• Inhibitors are chemicals that inhibit an
enzyme’s activity
– Competitive inhibitors: compete for the
enzyme’s active site and block substrates from
attaching

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 Substrate
Active site

Enzyme

Normal binding of substrate

Competitive Noncompetitive
inhibitor inhibitor

Enzyme inhibition
 Enzymes
–Noncompetitive inhibitors bind
somewhere else (called the
allosteric site) and change the
shape of the enzyme so that the
substrate will no longer fit the
active site

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 Self-Quiz
• Which type of enzyme inhibition can be
overcome by the addition of more
substrate?
• A. Competitive
• B. Non-competitive
 Enzymes
–Often the product of a metabolic
pathway can serve as an inhibitor of
one enzyme in the pathway, a
mechanism called feedback
inhibition (or allosteric regulation
or negative feedback.)

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Metabolic Pathway Regulation
 Self-Quiz
• In which of the following situations would
enzyme activity be slowed down, but not
completely destroyed?
• A. Increase in temperature
• B. Change in pH
• C. Decrease in temperature
• D. Increase in salt concentration