Cellular Respiration

Gen Bio 1
Cellular Respiration
• Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are
complementary processes.
• The products of photosynthesis are the
reactants of cellular respiration.
• Plants perform both photosynthesis and
cellular respiration. Animals perform only
cellular respiration.
• Photosynthesis is an anabolic reaction that
builds small molecular units into biomolecules,
such as carbohydrates.
• Cellular respiration is a catabolic reaction that
breaks down biomolecules so that cells can use
the energy stored in chemical bonds of food
molecules. This energy is used by organisms to
grow, repair damaged tissues, move, reproduce,
etc.
• Prokaryotes - cytoplasm,
• eukaryotes - mitochondria
• Respiration can take place in the presence
of oxygen.
• aerobic respiration – with oxygen
• anaerobic respiration – without oxygen
1. Glycolysis
• Glycolysis: 6-carbon sugar (glucose ) are broken down into 2 molecules of
pyruvic acid
• Yields: 2 ATPs for each glucose that enters glycolysis

• Takes place: cytoplasm with the absence of oxygen
• Phosphorylation- process of adding a phosphate group to a molecule
• Products: 2 ATP, 2 NADH, and 2 pyruvic acid

Steps
1. Glucose is phosphorylated using 2 ATP molecules. .
2. After phosphorylation of glucose. It will be converted into 3-
carbon molecule called PGAL as an intermediate compound.
3. A phosphate group is added in each PGAL molecule and
hydrogen atoms is transferred to NAD+ forming molecule of
NADH.
4. The phosphate bonds of PGAL are broken from each
molecule of PGAL and converting them to 2 molecules of
pyruvic acid.
Aerobic respiration
2. Krebs Cycle (Citric Acid Cycle)
• Discoverer: Hans Krebs, German-British Biochemist
• It is called citric acid cycle due to its intermediate
product citric acid.
• It is as series of chemical reaction that takes place in the
presence oxygen inside the matrix of the mitochondria.
• Coupled by the release of the carbon dioxide and
hydrogen ions that result in production of ATP
Steps
1. 2-carbon acetyl-CoA combined with a 4-carbon oxaloacetic acid, releasing CoA
and forming a 6-carbon molecule called citric acid
2. Citric acid molecule is broken down to a 5-carbon compound (ketoglutaric acid).
NADH is formed
3. 5-carbon compound (ketoglutaric acid) is broken down by enzyme producing 4-
carbon compound (succinic acid) forming NADH and ATP
Carbon dioxide: waste product
4. 4-carbon molecule is rearranged forming malic acid and high electrons are formed
including the electron carriers NADH and FADH2
5. Removal of hydrogen ion from malic acid causes the regeneration of oxaloacetic
acid and the cycle continues
• 2 molecules of pyruvic acid enter the Krebs cycle so it
is expected to turn twice.
• Total Formed: 6 NADH, 2 FADH2, 2 ATP
• Release: 4 molecules of CO2
• NADH, FADH2 : used to generate ATP molecule in
Electron transport chain
3. Electron Transport Chain
• Enzymes and ions carriers line in the inner membrane
of the mitochondria where this process takes place.
• Electron travel from carrier moving toward the lower
energy level of final electron acceptor, which is oxygen.
• Thus, absence of oxygen, aerobic respiration cannot
proceed.
• Chemiosmosis- the movement of electrons down to their
electrochemical gradient.
3. Electron Transport Chain
• Their movement down the electron chain results in
buildup of hydrogen ions.
• Due to a change in the concentration gradient, the
hydrogen ions flow back to the matrix.
• Hydrogen ion is pumped against the membrane to the
matrix, through an enzyme, ATP synthase, which is also a
protein channel.
• The flow of hydrogen ions through the ATP synthase
results in the conversion of ADP to ATP
Steps
1. Electron transport in the inner membrane of the
mitochondrion where NADPH donates two electrons and a
proton to the electron transport chain.
2. These electrons are passed down from one acceptor to another
down an energy gradient until they reach oxygen, which is the
final electron acceptor.
3. FADH2 also donates electron but it enters at a lower energy
level of the chain.
Fermentation
• During fermentation it a process of glycolysis
that provides ATP molecules since it does not
require oxygen.
• 2 ATP are produced during for each glucose
molecule that is broken down to pyruvic acid.
This is not sufficient as the aerobic type of
respiration which produces a maximum of 38
ATPs.
Fermentation
• There is more to fermentation than just glycolysis. To
produce energy during glycolysis, NAD+ must be
available as an electron acceptor. This is the problem
during aerobic respiration, since NAD+ cannot recycle in
the absence of oxygen, which accepts the electron.
Instead NADH is disposes of electrons by adding them to
pyruvic acid to produce from glycolysis. This restores
NAD and sustains glycolysis.
Lactic Acid Fermentation
• Enzymes help convert pyruvic acids generated during
glycolysis into lactic acid
• Experience: muscle fatigue after strenuous exercise
• This happens when there is a deficiency in the supply of
oxygen in the muscle cells.
• This way pyruvic acid could not proceed to the Krebs
cycle, instead it enters lactic acid fermentation pathway,
an anaerobic pathway.
Lactic Acid Fermentation
• The soreness or pain you feel during muscle fatigue is
due to the temporary accumulation of lactic acid in the
muscles cells which is in due in turn lack of oxygen
supply in the blood.
• This accumulated lactic acid is eventually transported by
the blood from the muscles to the liver, where liver cells
converted to pyruvic acid.
• The pyruvic acid from glycolysis is reduced to lactic acid
by co-enzyme NADH, which oxidized to NAD+.
Alcohol Fermentation
• It is the process through which sugar is converted to
energy resulting to the production of ethyl alcohol.
• For thousands of years, human used yeast
(Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to produce alcoholic
beverages such as beer and wine.
• This is performed only by certain organism like yeast that
contains enzyme decarboxylase.
Alcohol Fermentation
• This enzyme removes the terminal carbon dioxide turning the 3-
carbonpyruvate into 2-carbon acetaldehyde and reduced to ethyl
alcohol by NADH.
• Equation:
• pyruvic acid + NADH alcohol + NAD+ + CO2
• CO2 –it produces bubbles in beer and causes wine to sparkle
• In baking it produced by yeast from alcohol fermentation causes the
dough to rise and forms the air spaces you see in a slice of bread.
END

Cellular Respiration

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Gen Bio 1

• Yields: 2 ATPs for each glucose that enters glycolysis

• Phosphorylation- process of adding a phosphate group to a molecule

• Products: 2 ATP, 2 NADH, and 2 pyruvic acid

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