Campbell Biology Plus Mastering Biology with Pearson eText - Access Card Package (11th Edition)
Campbell Biology Plus Mastering Biology with Pearson eText - Access Card Package (11th Edition)
11th Edition
ISBN: 9780134082318
Author: Lisa A. Urry, Michael L. Cain, Steven A. Wasserman, Peter V. Minorsky, Jane B. Reece
Publisher: PEARSON
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Chapter 41, Problem 41.1CR
Summary Introduction

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.

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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.
Conclusion

The cofactors are needed as an essential nutrient in some animals that lack the ability to produce enzyme cofactors in their own body.

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What are the three kinds of enzyme-controlled reactions so that the chemical-bond energy from a certain nutrient is released to the cell in the form of ATP?
An inactive form of an enzyme becomes active after being phosphorylated. When glucose is converted to glucose-6-phosphate by hexokinase, the accumulation of glucose-6-phosphate inhibits the reaction. A foreign substance is added to the reaction above. This substance binds to hexokinase and prevents its ability to catalyze the reaction.
The following diagram shows the biosynthesis of B12 coenzymes, starting with the vitamin. DMB is dimethylbenzimidazole. (a) What one additional substrate or cofactor is required by enzyme B?(b) Genetic deficiency in animals of enzyme C would result in excessiveurinary excretion of what compound?(c) Some forms of the condition described in (b) can be successfully treatedby injection of rather massive doses of vitamin B12. What kind ofgenetic alteration in the enzyme would be consistent with this result?(d) Genetic deficiency in animals of enzyme B will result in excessive urinaryexcretion of what amino acid?

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Campbell Biology Plus Mastering Biology with Pearson eText - Access Card Package (11th Edition)

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