Abstract
Though the vitalist group initially used the term “organic” for compounds produced only by organisms, it was later on used for carbon compounds. Wohler (1928) discovered that urea, which otherwise was thought to be produced only in the living beings, could also be produced in the laboratory from ammonia and bicarbonate. In 1897, German chemists Eduard Buchner and Hans Buchner demonstrated that fermentation could be carried out by the cell-free extract of yeast. These observations lead to the development of the science of biochemistry. In the early twentieth century, due to discovery of various metabolic pathways, biochemistry was dominated by organic chemistry, followed by enzymology and bioenergetics. Some of the analytical techniques which made study of biochemistry possible included isolation of organelles, high-performance liquid chromatography, electrophoresis, use of radioactive tracers, plant transformation techniques using Agrobacterium tumefaciens, gene silencing, forward genetics, reverse genetics, mass spectrometry, and DNA microarray, among others. With computational technology, it is now possible to have complete understanding of the interconnectivity of metabolic pathway.
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Jones RL, Ougham H, Thomas H, Waaland S (2013) The molecular life of plants. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, pp 42–70
Nelson DL, Cox MM (2017) Lehninger principles of biochemistry, 7th edn. W.H. Freeman, New York, pp 495–525
Voet DJ, Voet JG, Charlotte WP (2008) Principles of biochemistry, 3rd edn. Wiley, Hoboken, pp 448–484
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Multiple-Choice Questions
Multiple-Choice Questions
-
1.
Bioenergetics refers to:
-
(a)
Energy exchange in between the cell and the surroundings
-
(b)
Science which deals with energy transductions within the cell
-
(c)
Energy release during a chemical reaction
-
(d)
None of the above
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(a)
-
2.
A living cell is an open system because:
-
(a)
It neither exchanges energy nor matter with the surroundings.
-
(b)
It can exchange both energy and matter with the surroundings.
-
(c)
It can exchange energy with the surroundings but not the matter.
-
(d)
It can exchange matter but not energy with the surroundings.
-
(a)
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3.
According to second law of thermodynamics, spontaneous reaction will occur:
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(a)
When less complex molecules will be converted to more complex ones.
-
(b)
When there is absorption of energy from the surroundings.
-
(c)
Molecules having higher entropy are converted to molecules having lesser entropy.
-
(d)
Molecules having lesser entropy are converted to molecules having high entropy.
-
(a)
-
4.
ΔG of a cellular reaction will be negative if:
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(a)
Products of the reaction have lesser entropy than the reactants.
-
(b)
Products of the reaction have more entropy than the reactants.
-
(c)
The reaction is non-spontaneous.
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(d)
There is requirement of input of energy for the reaction to occur.
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(a)
-
5.
Which of the following statement is true?
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(a)
In a living cell, equilibrium constant is maintained at 0.
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(b)
Free energy is the total energy present in a molecule.
-
(c)
Free energy is the energy isothermally available to do work.
-
(d)
ΔG°′ is defined as the change in free energy during a reaction which is not at equilibrium.
-
(a)
-
6.
High-energy bond (~) of ATP indicates:
-
(a)
Formation of this bond requires energy.
-
(b)
Hydrolysis of this bond releases energy.
-
(c)
Products of hydrolysis have lesser energy than the molecule itself.
-
(d)
Products of hydrolysis have more energy than the molecule itself.
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(a)
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7.
ATP is the high-energy molecule because:
-
(a)
It is nucleoside triphosphate.
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(b)
ATP is more resonance stabilized than the products of its hydrolysis.
-
(c)
ATP is present as Mg-ATP complex in the cell.
-
(d)
The products of its hydrolysis are stabilized by resonance.
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(a)
-
8.
In a redox reaction, electrons move:
-
(a)
From the compounds having more positive redox potential to compounds having lesser positive redox potential
-
(b)
From compounds having lesser positive redox potential to more positive redox potential
-
(c)
From compounds having lesser negative redox potential to compounds have more negative redox potential
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(d)
None of the above
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(a)
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9.
In an enzyme molecule consisting of a protein and non-protein structure, the protein part is known as:
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(a)
Cofactor
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(b)
Holoenzyme
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(c)
Apoenzyme
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(d)
Coenzyme
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(a)
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10.
A non-protein structure covalently attached to the protein part of an enzyme molecule is called:
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(a)
Coenzyme
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(b)
Cofactor
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(c)
Apoenzyme
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(d)
Prosthetic group
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(a)
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11.
Michaelis constant (Km) of an enzyme is:
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(a)
The substrate concentration at which enzyme is fully saturated
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(b)
The substrate concentration at which Vmax is half of the maximum
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(c)
The enzyme concentration at Vmax
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(d)
The enzyme concentration at which Vmax is half of the maximum
-
(a)
Answers
1. b | 2. b | 3. d | 4. b | 5. c | 6. c |
7. d | 8. b | 9. c | 10. d | 11. b |
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A. Lal, M. (2018). Concepts in Metabolism. In: Plant Physiology, Development and Metabolism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2023-1_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2023-1_4
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