DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY

SBCH 212 TUTORIALS

Tutorial 1: CARBOHYDRATES METABOLISM
1. Answer the following statements with TRUE or FALSE, if False, Explain why.
a) During carbohydrates metabolism
i. The HMP pathway yields ATP and reducing power at the expense of glucose
degradation
ii. Only one of the two series of steps in glycolysis that lead to ATP formation involves a
true oxidation/reduction reaction
iii. Degradation of glycogen by hydrolysis to glucose would be more efficient than
phosphorolysis to glucose-1-phosphate in terms of the total amount of ATP produced
upon breakdown to pyruvate.
iv. Interconversion of galactose and glucose does not occur via their activated nucleoside
diphosphate derivatives, UDP-galactose and UDP-glucose.
v. The complex control of glycogen phosphorylase activity ensures that glycogen will be
broken down only when ATP is needed.

b) In glycolysis

i. Fructose-6-phosphate is formed from glucose-6-phosphate and is split by the aldol

reaction into an aldehyde and a ketone.
ii. Glucose-6-phosphate is isomerized to fructose-1,6-bisphosphate.
iii. The oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate forms acetyl-CoA which is fed into the
citric acid cycle.
iv. The enzyme that catalyzes the second substrate level phosphorylation of glycolysis
uses phosphoenolpyruvate as a substrate
v. Phosphorylation of glucose to glucose-6-phosphate commits glucose to the formation
of pyruvate
c) About pentose phosphate pathway
i. Glucose-6-phosphate can be synthesized from ribose-5-phosphate without help from
glycolysis or gluconeogenesis
ii. It is less physiologically important in erythrocytes than in the liver
iii. The pentose phosphate pathway provides intermediates for glycolysis.
iv. The non-oxidative reactions of the pentose phosphate pathway are not reversible
v. The pentose phosphate pathway relies on the availability of NADPH.

2. Arrange the following proteins in the order in which they participate (beginning with the
action of adrenaline) in the conversion of glycogen to G1P:
Kinase (active and inactive forms), phosphorylase-b, adenyl cyclase (active and inactive
forms), phosphorylase-a, and kinase-kinase (active and inactive forms)
3. Explain the following statement: PFK-1 catalyzes the committed step in glycolysis.
4. Since lactate is a “dead-end” product of metabolism in the sense that its sole fate is to be
reconverted into pyruvate, what is the purpose of its formation?
5. If ribose-5-P were incubated in a suitably buffered solution containing xylulose-5-PP, TPP,
Mg2+, transketolase and transaldolase, what new carbohydrates would be produced?
6. “Chronic alcohol consumption is a major risk factor of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.”
Do you agree with the statement? Explain
7. Hydrolysis of ATP is given by the equation

ATP + H2O ↔ ADP + Pi

At 25oC, pH 7, assume ∆G0′ = -31.0 kJ/mol, and the intra-molecular concentrations of ATP,
ADP, and Pi are 2.35 mM, 0.200 mM, and 1.60 mM, respectively. [R = 8.31 J.mol-1K-1]
i. Calculate ∆G
ii. Will a net forward reaction or a net reverse reaction be required to reach equilibrium?
Explain.
DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY
SBCH 212 TUTORIALS
Tutorial 2: TRICARBOXYLIC ACID (TCA) CYCLE
1. Which reaction(s) in the aerobic oxidation of pyruvate to CO2
a) Produces CO2
b) Produces NADH
c) Produces FADH2
d) Adds H2O across the double bond of the substrate
e) Catalyzes substrate phosphorylation
f) Is physiologically irreversible
g) Is a condensation reaction that uses a 4-carbon dicarboxylic acid as a substrate
2. Answer these statements with TRUE or FALSE; if false explain why.
a) Isocitrate dehydrogenase is an allosteric enzyme
b) The TCA cycle is limited to the aerobic oxidation of pyruvate derived from glucose
c) Alpha-ketoglutarate is the direct precursor of L-aspartate
d) Fumarate is inhibited by malonate
e) Intermediates of the TCA cycle can be utilized for amino acid synthesis but not for
gluconeogenesis
3. Which of the following enzymes catalyse a reaction in
a) The TCA cycle
b) Glyoxylate cycle
c) Both cycles
d) Neither
Aconitase, citrate synthase, fumarase, glutamate dehydrogenase, isocitrate
dehydrogenase, isocitrate lyase, malate dehydrogenase, malate synthase, succinate
dehydrogenase, succinyl-CoA synthase
4. If the methyl group of pyruvate is labelled with radioactive carbon-14 (14CH3-CO-COO),
where would the label appear
a) After oxidation of the pyruvate by one turn of the cycle?
b) After 2 turns of the cycle?
5. Is it possible to get net synthesis of OAA by adding acetyl-CoA to an extract that contains
only the enzymes and cofactors of the TCA cycle? Explain then why glycogen and blood
glucose become radioactive when radioactive acetate (14CH3COOH) is fed to a rat.
DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY
SBCH 212 TUTORIALS
Tutorial 3: LIPIDS METABOLISM
1. Arrange the following incomplete list of reactions during that occur during beta-oxidation
of fatty acids in the proper order
a) Reaction with carnitine
b) Fatty acid in cytosol
c) Activation of fatty acid by joining to CoASH
d) Hydration
e) NAD-linked oxidation
f) Thiolysis
g) Acyl-CoA in mitochondrion
h) FAD-linked oxidation
i) Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation
2. Answer these statements about acetoacetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate as TRUE or FALSE.
If false, explain why
a) They are normal fuels for heart muscle and renal cortex
b) They are not formed during fasting because fatty acids are rapidly converted to acyl-
CoA
c) Both can give rise to acetone
d) Each contains four carbon atoms and requires three acetyl-CoA molecules for its
synthesis
e) Both are utilized as fuel by the liver

3. Describe the role of carnitine in fatty acid metabolism

4. Why is the ATP yield per six carbon of fatty acid greater than the ATP yield per six carbon
of a hexose? (Consider of course, that the catabolism in each case would proceed all the
way to CO2).
5. Outline the complete catabolism of oleic acid, linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid to
acetyl-CoA.
DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MICROBIOLOGY
SBCH 212 TUTORIALS
Tutorial 4: ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN AND OXIDATIVE
PHOSPHORYLATION
1. Answer the following statements on Mitchell hypothesis with TRUE or FALSE; if false
explain why
a) The function of mitochondrial electron transport is to translocate protons across the
inner membrane into the mitochondrial matrix
b) The free energy released by electron transport is stored in an electrochemical gradient
c) The inner membrane knobs of mitochondria are F1-ATPase complexes
d) F1-ATPase catalyzes the in vivo synthesis of ATP from ADP and Pi
e) The components of electron transport are arranged in a series of oxidation-reduction
loops linking hydrogen carriers to electron carriers
f) The chemiosmostic-coupling hypothesis does not support the contention that each
NADH and FADH2 donating electrons to the chain produces 3 and 2 ATPs
respectively
g) ATP production by chemiosmotic coupling occurs only in the mitochondria
2. The immediate administration of nitrite is a highly effective treatment for cyanide
poisoning. What is the basis for the action of this antidode? [HINT: nitrite oxidizes
ferroheamoglobin to ferriheamoglobin].
3. Which of these compounds
Aspirin overdose, cyanide, 2,4-dinitrophenol, antimycin A, thyroid at toxic levels
a) Inhibits electron transfer from cyt b to cyt c1
b) Uncouples oxidative phosphorylation
c) Inhibits cytochrome oxidase
4. Explain the difference between oxidative phosphorylation and substrate level
phosphorylation as seen in glycolysis and the TCA cycle.