Lecture 9: Oxidative Phosphorylation

It is important to understand that energy is the ability to do work or make change in the cell.
Every part of the cell is utilized for different specific tasks, and contribute to the various tasks of
the cell. This may include synthesis of new molecules, creating gradients, moving around, or
generating heat. Food is consumed to mainly to produce ATP, and to yield electron donors that
can be used to produce more ATP, mainly NADH. ATP is produced through Oxidative
Phosphorylation and the electron transport chain when electrons are passed from molecules of
low electron affinity to molecules of higher electron affinity. Upon each transfer, an amount of
energy is released that helps promote a proton gradient, which in turn powers ATP synthase.

Cells need 4 basic things: Molecular building blocks to produce its materials, chemical catalysts-
or else hardly any reactions would happen, energy to drive essential reactions, and information
guides to reactions

We eat to yield ATP. The breakdown of food gives us ATP, electron donors like NADH to make
more ATP, molecular building blocks

Energy is the ability to do work or make change in the cell.

The "work":
Synthesis of new molecules
Electrical work- moving ions to create potentials
Mechanical change in the position of the cell
Concentration work
Generation of heat in homeotherms
Generation of light in bioluminescent organisms

The hydrolysis of ATP is very favorable and It releases energy to drive reactions
When breaking down food, some energy is always lost as heat.
Catabolic-break
Anabolic-Synthesize

Stages of Food breakdown:

1. Breakdown food into subunits-Digestion
2. Break subunits into ATP and electron donors- Glycolysis and CAC
1. Movement of electrons to generate large amounts of ATP- Oxidative Phosphorylation

The majority of ATP is produced by oxidative phosphorylation. It takes electron carriers that
were produced from glycolysis and CAC to generate more ATP.

NADH donates electrons to the ETC, then the ETC pumps protons into intermembrane
space to form gradient, those protons pass through ATP synthase to generate ATP.
The proton gradient is driven by high energy electrons moving to a lower energy state.
● NADH and FADH2 produced by glycolysis and the CAC have electrons that are
transferred from acceptor to acceptor releasing energy every transition, as it moves from
a higher energy state to lower, and that energy drives protein pumps.
● The protons then travel down their gradient, spinning ATP synthase. The membrane is
REQUIRED for oxidative phosphorylation.

The double membrane of the mitochondria provides a lot of surface area with the cristae (folds).
Direct correlation with the amount of cristae and energy production.
The inner membrane is where ATP synthase and the ETC live.
The inner intermembrane space is the site of oxidative phosphorylation. This is where the
proton gradient is formed.
The mitochondrial matrix is the largest area, and is the site of many enzymes the breakdown
pyruvate and fatty acids. The matrix is also where the CAC occurs and NADH is generated.

NADH is a strong electron donor, therefore it has a weak affinity for its electrons.

The small releases of energy maximize energy capture, opposed to combustion where it is all
lost to heat.
Pumping protons "stores" energy in gradient.

The electrons move from molecules with low affinity for e- to higher affinity
-Low affinity mols have low redox potential, while high affinity mols have a high redox potential.
The electron transfer is unidirectional.

ETC has three protons that are complex protein machines. They have many subunits that can
undergo conformational changes that result in the pumping of protons. Metal Ions are commonly
used as e- acceptors in each component.

Cytochrome-c oxidase holds oxygen until it is ready to accept the electron and reduce to H20
Reaction is H2 +1/2 O2 =H2O

2 electron carriers, Ubiquinone (Q) and Cytochrome C shuttle electrons from one pump
to the next.
Q is a small hydrophobic molecule, and Cytochrome C is a protein loosely held to the outer
mem.

Cyanide acts on cytochrome C-oxidase, so that stops O2 usage.

When an electron carrier is given an electron, H+ also binds to stabilize the molecule. When the
electron is released, so it the H+, contributing to the gradient. Electrochemical gradient. Electro-
ion charge difference across the mem. Chemical- more protons on one side = pH change.
H+ can only cross the mem at ATP synthase.