What are the different N-containig compounds?
What is the role of Nitrogenase?
Expressed by Diazotroph bacteria → fixes atmospheric nitrogen
Turns stable N2 gas into NH3
N2 + 8H+ + 8e- + 16 ATP + 16 H2O → 2 NH3 + H2 + 16 ADP + 16 Pi
*requires ATP to reduce these stable bonds (triple bond)
*FIXATION
What is the Haber-Bosch reaction?
N2 + 3H2 → 2 NH3
*In bacteria in the ground
What is assimilation of Nitrogen?
2 NH3 → {Glutamine synthetase} → Glutamine
There is a symbiotic association between bacteria and yeast in the soil (associated with the roots) → Bacterias fix Nitrogen (Nitrogenase catalyses N2 → 2 NH3, ATP-dependent)
NH3 is taken up by plants which assimilate it in their cells (Many different nitrogen assimilation reactions for ex: Glutamine synthetase catalyses NH3 → Glutamine)
What are the 4 most important nitrogen assimilation reactions?
a-ketoglutarate (0N) → {Glutamate dehydrogenase} → Glutamate (1N) (→ other AA)
Glutamate (1N) → {Glutamine synthetase} → Glutamine (2N) (→ Purine nucleotides, AA, tryptophan, histidine)
Aspartate (1N)} → {Asparagine synthetase} → Asparagine (2N)
CO2, ATP → {Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase} → Carbamoyl phosphate (→ Arginine, pyrimidine, urea)
What is the role of pepsin?
What is the role of trypsin?
What is the role of chymotrypsin?
What is the role of Aminopeptidase and Carboxypeptidase A?
How does uptake of AA into enterocytes work? What is the exception?
20 AA with different combinations of dipeptides and tripeptides uptaken → many many specific transporters at the brush border of enterocytes
General rule → imported via Na+ and H+ symporters
Exception in neonatal mammals:
Whole milk proteins are endocytosed and degraded in lysosome (AA go into circulation) or pass unscathed through the enterocyte to circulation
What are essential, non-essential and conditionnally essential amino acids?
Essential → AA you can’t synthesize, you need to ingest in diet
Non-essential → AA you can synthesize (ex: Alanine, Asparagine, Aspartate, Glutamate, Serine)
Conditionnally essential → requires essential AA as a strating material to synthesize them (ex: Cysteine requires methionine and Tyrosine requires Phenylalanine)
What are the different cellular uses of the amino acid pool?
What are the different principles of the amino acid pool?
What is the effect positive and negative AA balance?
Equilibrium: Intake = Outflow
Positive balance: Intake > Outflow → growth, pregnancy, weight lifting, etc.
Negative balance: Intake < Outflow → Illness, surgery trauma, cancer cachexia
Where is the carbon skeleton of AA recycled?
What is considered to be a high [amminium]? What is the effect of high [NH3]?
normal blood [ammonium] < 50mM
high concentration → Disturbance of consciousness, coma, convulsion, death
Found in the blood as ammonium (NH4+): NH3 + H+ + OH- ←→ NH4+ + OH-
*Still must be detoxified → Urea cycle (in the liver) → Urea is excreted in urine which is then degrade by bacteria and they regenerate N2
Which are the 2 most abundant AA?
What is the importance/role of Glutamine synthtase and Glutaminase?
They regulate the pool of glutamine (both in the peripheral tissues and in the liver)
*Glutamine is the circulating form in the blood as it carries a NH3
Glutamine → {glutaminase releases NH3} → Glutamate → {glutamate dehydrogenase release NH3} → aKG
Where in the body are the following enzymes found?
- Transaminases
- Glutamine synthtases
- Glutaminase
- Glutamine dehydrogenase
Transaminase and Glutamine synthetase → peripheral tissues (including muscles for example)
Glutaminase and Glutamine dehydrogenase → release NH3 → in the liver only (→ urea cycle)
Which is the 1st enzyme responsible for detoxifying NH3 during exercise?
Exercise → AA breakdown for energy production (fill CAC) → release of NH3
In the peripheral tissues, GLUTAMINE SYNTHETASE puts the free NH3 onto Glutamate → to make Glutamine which will act as a carrier for the NH3 through circulation to the liver → urea cycle
What reaction is catalysed by Glutamine synthetase
Glutamate (OH-C(R)=O) → y-Glutamyl phosphate (consumes 1 ATP) → Glutamine (H2N-C(R)=O)
*NH3 comes from AA breakdown
*Phosphate acts as a high-energy intermediate to help generating the C-N bond
*In peripheral tissues
What reaction is catalysed by Glutaminase?
*In the liver only
Glutamine → {uses H2O, releases NH4+} → Glutamate
*Opposit reaction as Glutamin Synthetase
*NH4+ goes to the urea cycle
What is the difference between a synthase and a synthetase?
Synthetase → uses ATP
Synthase → does not use ATP
What is a deamination reaction?
Give 2 examples of enzymes.
It removes the nitrogen group from a molecule and releases it as NH4+
Enzyme IN THE LIVER:
- Glutaminase
- Glutamate dehydrogenase
*NH4 is released to the urea cycle so has to be in the liver