TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

363 P. CASAL ST., QUIAPO MANILA

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

GROUP ASSIGNMENT IN

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

(DISCUSSION OF THREE STEP METABOLIC PATHWAY)

SUBMITTED BY:

CUBELO, LEA BIANCA

GARCIA, GELLENE

OGOT, KRISHNA MAY L.

RETUYA, RICHARD JORDAN

RODELAS, NINO ADRIAN

SUBMITTED TO:

ENGR. LINA DELA CRUZ

DATE:

JULY 12, 2017

Three Step Biochemical Pathways

A biochemical pathway (also called a metabolic pathway) is a series of enzyme-mediated reactions where

the product of one reaction is used as the substrate in the next. This particular type of chemical

Figure 1

reaction is controlled by enzymes at every step and it can be very simple where its just one thing into
another thing, it can be a series of chemical reactions with a series of steps and each step is controlled by
an enzyme. Starting with a substrate converted into an intermediate which is then converted into another
intermediate which is then converted to a final product and each of these steps every time its converted
from one thing into another thing thats controlled by an enzyme. They can be simple like in the figure 1
above, its linear. It can be a little bit complicated when its branched; starting point theres an
intermediate and one form of the enzyme is going to make one kind of product and another form of the
enzyme would make a different product or they can be cyclic all and metabolic pathways where started
off at a point converted into one form of intermediate into another one into another one after a byproduct
is formed. For example maybe carbon dioxide or water or something and continues in a cycle basically
repeating over and over again making lots and lots of product.

For example:

Each enzyme is coded by a different gene. For instance, lets assume enzyme A is coded for by gene A.
Similarly enzyme B is coded for by the gene B.
 Figure 3

For a mouse to have the black phenotype it must have both the A and B genes. If the mouse only has the
A gene then the brown compound will accumulate and it will have the brown phenotype. If the mouse
only has the B gene the white compound accumulates and the effect of the B gene is masked (although
enzyme B is present it has no substrate to act on).

A mutation within a gene will often result in a non-functional enzyme. This itself wouldn't usually affect
the biochemical pathway as most mutations are recessive and the normal (dominant) allele would still
produce a functional enzyme. Figure 4 summarizes it all.

Figure 4
Shown in figure 5 is the production of two pyruvate molecules from a six-carbon sugar occurs during this
three-step chemical reaction. In step 1, two ATP molecules are used to convert glucose into fructose 1, 6
biphosphate. In step 2, fructose 1, 6 biphosphate is broken in half to produce two glyceraldehyde 3-
phosphates. Each glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate undergoes a series of reactions that cost 2 ATP and 1 NADH
to produce a single pyruvate molecule. Because there are two glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate molecules,
the total cost of converting both into two pyruvate molecules is 4ATP, 2NADH.

Figure 5

Energy is used to convert glucose to a 6 carbon form. Thereafter, energy is generated to create two
molecules of pyruvate.

Feedback Inhibition

In many biochemical pathways the final product acts as an enzyme inhibitor, inhibiting the action of the
first enzyme. This is known as feedback inhibition and acts as a mechanism to prevent excessive
accumulation of the final product. Often, the initial substrate can also be used in other biochemical
pathways and feedback inhibition also ensures it isn't wasted.
Aspects of how metabolic pathways work:

Metabolic pathways generally modify biochemicals via a series of small steps (stages in the
process) rather than a single chemical reaction.

Benefits:

Minor adjustments can be made to the structure of the molecules.

Energy is released / used in manageable quantities.

Each step in a metabolic pathway is a chemical reaction catalyzed a specific enzyme.

Each enzyme required for a step in a metabolic pathway is a point of control of the overall metabolic
pathway when each step in the overall process (pathway) is essential.

Benefit:

Many balances - i.e. requirements for specific enzymes - keep the rate of metabolic processes in check.

Chemical equilibrium may never be reached because the products of reactions do not continue
to exist in that form but change due to participation in the next step along the metabolic
pathway.

Benefit:

The biochemical reactions at each stage of a metabolic pathway are more likely to proceed (that is,
continue to happen) because the products of that particular reaction do not accumulate because they
go on to participate in the next step in the metabolic pathway ... which changes them into other
biochemical(s).

This is in contrast to an isolated chemical reaction, i.e. one that is not part of a metabolic pathway but is
considered entirely on its own - the meaning of "isolated". In that case only a certain proportion of the
reactants may be converted into the products of the reaction due to a natural "equilibrium" situation at
which a certain proportion of the total matter concerned is in the form of the reactants and a certain
(other) proportion in the form of the products of the reaction. In that case the proportions of
reactants/products at the "equilibrium" situation is determined by physical conditions such as e.g.
temperature and pressure.

Steps in a metabolic pathway tend to be arranged in physical space such that the product of one
reaction is in the right place to become a reactant (or "precursor") in the next step in the
sequence.

Benefit:

Accumulation of concentrations of biomolecules that are the reactants of a step in a metabolic pathway
can help to increase the rate (i.e. the "speed") of the process. This is related to the above considerations
of "equilibrium".