It has been shown recently that the African naked nole-rat can withstand up to 18 min of complete anoxia (ab- sence of O2) in the presence of high levels of CO2 without ap- arent brain damage. The basis of its capacity to tolerate such inusual conditions is that the brain, heart, and liver in the mole- at switch to fructose-driven glycolysis. In contrast to normal nice, these tissues in the naked mole-rat have high levels of GLUT5 specific for cellular uptake of fructose. The available pathways for breakdown of fruct ose for metabolic energy production are shown on the right. KHK stands for ketohexosekinase, an enzyme that is markedly pregulated in the mole-rat compared to normal mice. Conse- juently mice must metabolize fructose largely via hexokinase ΚΗΚ HK Fru Fructose-1-P Fructo ALDOB ALDOC Glyceraldehyde DHAP Glyc-3-P
Electron Transport Chain
The electron transport chain, also known as the electron transport system, is a group of proteins that transfer electrons through a membrane within mitochondria to create a gradient of protons that drives adenosine triphosphate (ATP)synthesis. The cell uses ATP as an energy source for metabolic processes and cellular functions. ETC involves series of reactions that convert redox energy from NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) + hydrogen (H)) and FADH2(flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)) oxidation into proton-motive force(PMF), which is then used to synthesize ATP through conformational changes in the ATP synthase complex, a process known as oxidative phosphorylation.
Metabolism
Picture a campfire. It keeps the body warm on a cold night and provides light. To ensure that the fire keeps burning, fuel needs to be added(pieces of wood in this case). When a small piece is added, the fire burns bright for a bit and then dies down unless more wood is added. But, if too many pieces are placed at a time, the fire escalates and burns for a longer time, without actually burning away all the pieces that have been added. Many of them, especially the larger chunks or damp pieces, remain unburnt.
Cellular Respiration
Cellular respiration is the cellular process involved in the generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules from the organic nutritional source obtained from the diet. It is a universal process observed in all types of life forms. The glucose (chemical formula C6H12O6) molecules are the preferred raw material for cell respiration as it possesses a simple structure and is highly efficient in nature.
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