Concept explainers
To determine: The reason how an enzyme cofactor needed for an essential process is an essential nutrient for only some animals.
Introduction: A coenzyme is an organic non-protein compound that binds with an enzyme to catalyze a reaction. Many coenzymes, though not all, are vitamins or derived from vitamins. Thus, the enzyme cofactors play an important role in performing normal physiological processes in their system. Most of the animals can synthesize these enzyme cofactors in their own body, but some require their supply through diet.
Explanation of Solution
Essential nutrients are the nutrients that cannot be synthesized by the body but required to carry out the normal physiological functions and must be provided through diet. There are six essential nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. Coenzymes primarily function as helper molecules in enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Most of the coenzymes are the vitamins (Vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, H, and K) or vitamin derivatives (NADH, FADH, Quinine, and CoA).
Many animals can produce most of the vitamins they need such as vitamin B3, vitamin C, and vitamin D on their own. But some of the animals cannot synthesize some vitamins or vitamin-derived cofactors, which are thus essential nutrients for them, and they need to intake these in their diet.
- For example, anthropoid primates (humans, monkeys, and apes), guinea pigs, particular Indian fruit-eating bat, and some birds do not possess the ability to synthesize Vitamin C because of a defective mutation in the gene controlling the synthesis of L-gulonolactone oxidase (GLO gene) that blocks the conversion of glucose to ascorbic acid.
- The common ancestor of birds and mammals today live in an environment with abundance of green plants containing thiamine. Hence, they lost the gene responsible for the production of Vitamin B1 (thiamine) in their own body. Thus, Vitamin B1 became an essential nutrient for them.
The cofactors are needed as an essential nutrient in some animals that lack the ability to produce enzyme cofactors in their own body.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Chapter 41 Solutions
Campbell Biology Plus Mastering Biology with Pearson eText - Access Card Package (11th Edition)
- Which of the following is true of all allosteric enzymes? They have more than one active site on each subunit. They consist of proteins only. They have a nonprotein portion. Binding at one site affects the protein function at a second site. Which of the following explains why glycosides do not undergo mutarotation? There are no longer any stereocenters. There is no longer an anomeric carbon. The ring structure does not open to become the open-chain structure. None of the above is correct.arrow_forwardThe catalytic activity of enzymes depends on the presence of appropriate environmental conditions. Pepsin is a digestive enzyme found in the stomach and facilitates the digestion of large proteins. If pepsin is removed from this acidic environment of the stomach and is instead placed in a more basic environment, it will cease to function. Describe the specific effect that a change in environmental pH will have on pepsin and explain how this change can lead to inhibition of its catalytic activity. Respond in 4 to 6 complete sentences.arrow_forwardB) Read the situations below and indicate which of the four methods of enzyme regulation is occurring for each. a) The energy-carrying molecule ATP is made by the enzyme ATP synthase. Muscle cells use a lot of energy and also have higher amounts of the ATP synthase enzyme than many ouier cem types. General mechanism of enzyme regulation: /1 b) Prostaglandins are messenger molecules involved in the inflammatory response, as well as th perception of pain. They are synthesized from polyunsaturated fatty acid substrates by an enzyn called cyclo-oxygenase. "Ibuprofen" is the active ingredient in a variety of anti-inflammatory medications such as Motrin® and Advil®. It reduces pain and swelling by binding to a hydrophobic channel in the active site of cyclo-oxygenase, blocking the polyunsaturated fatty acids from binding to the enzyme, and therefore stopping production of prostaglandins. General mechanism of enzyme regulation: a) In point form, describe the steps by which ATP is produced…arrow_forward
- All of the following statements about amino acid synthesis in humans are true except: Some amino acids are synthesized using major metabolic intermediates and transamination. The process often requires cofactors derived from B vitamins. Allosteric enzymes may be regulated via feedback inhibition. Different organs synthesize different amino acids because they maintain anaerobic conditions.arrow_forward3) Read the situations below and indicate which of the four methods of enzyme regulation is occurring for each. a) The energy-carrying molecule ATP is made by the enzyme ATP synthase. Muscle cells use a lot of energy and also have higher amounts of the ATP synthase enzyme than many other cell types. General mechanism of enzyme regulation: S b) Prostaglandins are messenger molecules involved in the inflammatory response, as well as the perception of pain. They are synthesized from polyunsaturated fatty acid substrates by an enzym called cyclo-oxygenase. "Ibuprofen" is the active ingredient in a variety of anti-inflammatory medications such as Motrin® and Advil®. It reduces pain and swelling by binding to a hydrophobic channel in the active site of cyclo-oxygenase, blocking the polyunsaturated fatty acids from binding to the enzyme, and therefore stopping production of prostaglandins. General mechanism of enzyme regulation:arrow_forwardWhat happens to the enzyme’s native conformation once it is denatured? What structural organization are destroyed by this process? How does changes in enzymatic factors affect the native conformation of enzymes?arrow_forward
- Why does the enzyme activity eventually fall as more PALA is present?arrow_forwardWhat is an energy of activation and what is the action of the enzyme over the energy of activation?arrow_forwardWhat is the advantage of using ATP as a common energy source?Another way of asking this question is, “Why does ATP provide anadvantage over using a bunch of different food molecules?” For example,instead of just having a Na+/K+-ATPase in a cell, why not have manydifferent ion pumps, each driven by a different food molecule, like aNa+/K+-glucosase (a pump that uses glucose), a Na+/K+-sucrase (a pumpthat uses sucrose), a Na+/K+-fatty acidase (a pump that uses fatty acids),and so on?arrow_forward
- Which out of the following statements is true about the regulation of metabolic pathway? a) Most of the metabolic pathways are regulated b) Most of the metabolic pathways are not regulated c) Regulation of metabolic pathways always involves changing the amount of enzymes d) Metabolic regulation always depends on control by hormonesarrow_forwardThe word "exergonic" refers to which of the following in metabolism? anabolic pathways for the synthesis of biological molecules from simpler pathways that use chemical energy of ATP to form new covalent bonds biochemical pathways that produce chemical energy in the form of the high- a) energy bonds of ATP molecules b) c) precursors biosynthetic processes that uize NADPH as a source of high-energy hydrogens and electrons same as endergonic d) e)arrow_forwardList two means by which enzyme activity is directly regulated.arrow_forward
- Human Anatomy & Physiology (11th Edition)BiologyISBN:9780134580999Author:Elaine N. Marieb, Katja N. HoehnPublisher:PEARSONBiology 2eBiologyISBN:9781947172517Author:Matthew Douglas, Jung Choi, Mary Ann ClarkPublisher:OpenStaxAnatomy & PhysiologyBiologyISBN:9781259398629Author:McKinley, Michael P., O'loughlin, Valerie Dean, Bidle, Theresa StouterPublisher:Mcgraw Hill Education,
- Molecular Biology of the Cell (Sixth Edition)BiologyISBN:9780815344322Author:Bruce Alberts, Alexander D. Johnson, Julian Lewis, David Morgan, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, Peter WalterPublisher:W. W. Norton & CompanyLaboratory Manual For Human Anatomy & PhysiologyBiologyISBN:9781260159363Author:Martin, Terry R., Prentice-craver, CynthiaPublisher:McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.Inquiry Into Life (16th Edition)BiologyISBN:9781260231700Author:Sylvia S. Mader, Michael WindelspechtPublisher:McGraw Hill Education