Lecture

Electron Transport Chain: Underlying Chemistry and Biology

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CH-313: Chemical biology

Chemical Biology is an interdisciplinary field using chemical principles and techniques to analyse and manipulate biological systems. It relies on small-molecule chemicals to gain an in-depth understanding of biology, and provides new tools and products ra ...

Description

This lecture covers the Electron Transport Chain (ETC) and Oxidative Phosphorylation (OXPHOS) processes, focusing on the chemistry and biology behind them. It explains the role of different complexes, such as NADH dehydrogenase, cytochrome C reductase, and cytochrome C oxidase, in transferring electrons and protons to generate energy. The lecture also delves into the functions of key molecules like coenzyme Q and cytochromes, detailing their involvement in electron transfer. Additionally, it discusses the redox potentials and free energy changes along the ETC, emphasizing the importance of oxygen as the final electron acceptor. The presentation concludes with insights into the proton pumping mechanisms and the overall significance of ETC in cellular energy production.

Instructors (2)

Rudolf Hovius

Expertise Â•Protein structure, expression & purificationÂ•Molecular interaction & receptor activationÂ•Fluorescence imaging & spectroscopySignalling & sensing Mission => Teaching: Lecture courses, tutorials and practicals in biochemistry, biophysical chemistry of membranes and signalling processes. Participating to the Commission d'Enseignement and Commission de l'Ecole Doctorale of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.=> Research interests: Protein function and structure, Membrane protein (especially recepto

Yimon Aye

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Biology

Cell biology: Cell metabolism

Related concepts (32)

Mitochondrion

A mitochondrion (ˌmaɪtəˈkɒndriən; : mitochondria) is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used throughout the cell as a source of chemical energy. They were discovered by Albert von Kölliker in 1857 in the voluntary muscles of insects. The term mitochondrion was coined by Carl Benda in 1898.

Substrate-level phosphorylation

Substrate-level phosphorylation is a metabolism reaction that results in the production of ATP or GTP supported by the energy released from another high-energy bond that leads to phosphorylation of ADP or GDP to ATP or GTP (note that the reaction catalyzed by creatine kinase is not considered as "substrate-level phosphorylation"). This process uses some of the released chemical energy, the Gibbs free energy, to transfer a phosphoryl (PO3) group to ADP or GDP. Occurs in glycolysis and in the citric acid cycle.

Phosphorylation

In biochemistry, phosphorylation is the attachment of a phosphate group to a molecule or an ion. This process and its inverse, dephosphorylation, are common in biology. Protein phosphorylation often activates (or deactivates) many enzymes. Phosphorylation is essential to the processes of both anaerobic and aerobic respiration, which involve the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the "high-energy" exchange medium in the cell.

Coenzyme Q – cytochrome c reductase

The coenzyme Q : cytochrome c – oxidoreductase, sometimes called the cytochrome bc1 complex, and at other times complex III, is the third complex in the electron transport chain (), playing a critical role in biochemical generation of ATP (oxidative phosphorylation). Complex III is a multisubunit transmembrane protein encoded by both the mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and the nuclear genomes (all other subunits). Complex III is present in the mitochondria of all animals and all aerobic eukaryotes and the inner membranes of most eubacteria.

Electron transport chain

An electron transport chain (ETC) is a series of protein complexes and other molecules that transfer electrons from electron donors to electron acceptors via redox reactions (both reduction and oxidation occurring simultaneously) and couples this electron transfer with the transfer of protons (H+ ions) across a membrane. The electrons that are transferred from NADH and FADH2 to the ETC involves four multi-subunit large enzymes complexes and two mobile electron carriers.

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