Potential command term assessment statements

AHL Topic 8: Metabolism, cell respiration and photosynthesis

8.1 Metabolism
Essential Idea: Metabolic reactions are regulated in response to the cells needs.
Nature of science: Developments in scientific research follow improvements in computing
developments in bioinformatics, such as the interrogation of databases, have facilitated
research into metabolic pathways.

State that metabolic pathways consist of chains and cycles of enzyme-catalysed reactions.

Explain that enzymes lower the activation energy of the chemical reactions that they catalyse.

Explain the difference between competitive and non-competitive inhibition, with reference to one specific
example of each.
Competitive inhibition the inhibiting molecule has a similar structure to the substrate and competes
with the substrate for the active site. Examples could be succinate dehydrogenase inhibition by
malonate in cellular respiration (Allot 100) or sulfanilamide inhibition of folic acid production to kill
bacteria (Damon 354).
Non-competitive inhibition the inhibiting molecule binds to a different site from the active site and
causes a conformational change in the active site preventing substrate binding. Allosteric enzymes are
a type of non-competitive inhibition with a second allosteric site where the inhibitor binds. Examples
could include mercury ions that bind to the Sulphur groups of amino acids in enzymes and change
their active sites, often permanently (Damon 354) or end product inhibition in bacteria of the enzyme
threonine dehydratase by isoleucine an amino acid end product (Allot 101). This allows the conversion
of the amino acid threonine into the amino acid isoleucine in bacteria when needed for protein
synthesis.
A specific example must be given for each and graphs showing the change in rate of reaction as
substrate concentration is increased with and without each type of inhibitor compared and explained.

Distinguish between the different types of inhibition from graphs at specified substrate concentrations.

Calculate and plot rates of reaction from raw experimental data.

Explain the control of metabolic pathways by end product inhibition, including the role of allosteric sites.

Theory of Knowledge: Many metabolic pathways have been described following a series of carefully
controlled and repeated experiments. To what degree can looking at component parts give us
knowledge of the whole?