Biosc 1000

Lecture 11 Sample Problems

1. The brain burns glucose as its sole metabolic fuel (except during extreme starvation) and
consumes up to 40% of the circulating glucose. In the brain, hexokinase is the rate
determining step of glycolysis why should this be?

The brain is only going to oxidize glucose for energy so trapping it in the cell
is the committed step. Once in, it will be completely oxidized to make ATP.
2. What is the importance of the lactate dehydrogenase reaction in muscle (pyruvate
lactate) and the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase reaction in yeast?

Both oxidize NADH to NAD+, restoring the oxidized electron carrier so glycolysis
can continue
3. A liver biopsy of a boy indicate a deficiency of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activity. The
boys blood glucose levels were normal at a beginning of a fast but decreased
precipitously. Pyruvate and alanine levels increased and the glyceraldehyde-3phosphate/dihydroxyacetone phosphate ratio increased as well. Why did these symptoms
occur?

The deficiency of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase blocked the conversion of

fructose-1,6-bisphoshate to fructose-6-phosphate and the subsequent
conversion to glucose-6-phosphate and finally glucose. Because of the block,
gluconeogenic intermediates accumulate pyruvate is the product of
pyruvate carboxylase and PEP carboxykinase reactions, alanine is the
transaminated form of pyruvate. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate is the product
of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction.

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