Yes, You Do Need CHEM 240!

A few weeks ago, I had a former CHEM 240 visit a study group of mine. She looked at my group of students and posed the question,

“Guess when you will use this information you are learning again?”

After a slight paused, she exclaimed, “NEVER!”

I was bothered by this because it is not true. To counter this former student, I pose another question. Read the list contained below, and determine what each item has in common:

• Barth Syndrome
• Cori’s Disease
• Chanarin-Dorfman Syndrome
• Pompe Disease
• Arganise Deficiency
• Anderson’s (Not to be confused with your professor!) Disease
• 3-methylglutaconic Acidura

THEY ARE ALL METABOLIC DISEASES. All of which connect to some pathway covered in class. Of course, the material covered in CHEM 240 is important!

How can you  assist with the care of an ill patient suffering form a metabolic disease if you do not understand  the pathology of their condition? The answer is simple, you can’t, and you shouldn’t.

Don’t believe me? Check this website:

http://www.noah-health.org/en/genetic/conditions/metabolic.html

It contains a database of a metabolic diseases. There are countless disorders. I found it very interesting. Enjoy!

Happy Spring Break!

Tips for studying Glycolysis…

-By Melissa Reardon, chem content tutor

This is a piece of advice I commonly share with CHEM 240 students in study sessions, “Do not know something just to know it. Know why it is important.”

For example, if you were to merely memorize Glycolysis in preparation for your next quiz or exam you should not expect to do well. Therefore, as you learn the catabolic pathway for carbohydrates try to answer these questions to practice my philosophy of study.

1. What would happen to Gycolysis if the enzyme from step one was eliminated?

HINTS:

• Open up your book to the two-page spread of glycolysis.
  • What is the first step?
  • What enzyme performs this step? It’s name is immediately to the right of the reaction illustration. It’s italicized.
  • WHY IS THIS STEP IMPORTANT?

2. What would happen within Glycolysis if the enzyme from step three was eliminated? Would it effect subsequent pathways? Why/why not?

Good Luck! For answers, post back or make an appointment to discuss solutions!

A New Way to Think About the Electron Transport Chain…

By Melissa Reardon, Chem Tutor

Last Friday, I spent about three hours of my day explaining the importance of oxygen to the functionality of aerobic respiration for  CHEM 240 students preparing for their exam. Students are often puzzled over its role since the molecule is not involved in the Kreb’s cycle, and is the very last reactant within the electron transport chain. By the end of my tutoring shift I came up with (what I think is a pretty clever) way to think about the concept-a metaphor.

Points to keep in mind:

• The Major Products of Krebs Cycle:
  1. 2 CO2
  2. ATP
  3. 3 NADH
  4. 1 FADH2
• The role NADH & FADH2 is to carry the protons and electrons to the electron transport chain. Protons will be pumped through complexes into the intermembrane space, while electrons will pass though the electron transport system to created the coupled reaction used to drive ATP synthesis.
• Oxygen is the final electron acceptor within the electron transport chain.

Think of NAD+ as a car. NAD+ takes a drive through the Kreb’s cycle to pick passengers, proton and electron (now exists in the form NADH). These passengers need to meet up with their friend H2O.  It is NAD+’s job to deliver H+ and e- to a series of escalators which will carry them to H2O. Once NAD+ delivers its passengers, it will return to the Krebs cycle to pick up another pair of H+ and e-, and repeat.

There are two sets of escalators leading to H2O connected by a bridge that over looks the Grand Canyon. One day, however, this bridge breaks. NAD+, unaware of this occurrence, continues to drop H+ and e-  off at the escalator where they fall (sadly) to their deaths. Eventually, people discover this reoccurring tragedy and shut the escalator down. Hence, the electron transport chain stops. Suddenly, NAD+ has no where to drop off its passengers. With a full passenger load, NAD+ (remember it is in the form of NADH) cannot go back to the Krebs cycle to pick up more H+ and e- so it can drop them off at the electron transport chain. Hence, if NAD+ cannot pick up its passengers, the Krebs cycle stops.

Therefore, the deprivation of oxygen stops both the Krebs and electron transport systems.

I hope that provided a visual (FADH2 also works as a car).

Snow Day & Glycolysis

A few thoughts from your friendly chem tutor, Melissa Reardon. . .

Mother Nature has awarded students with two additional days of studying-Use your time wisely CHEM 240 ladies! Good luck on you exam! One last piece of advice…..do not concentrate on merely knowing what things are, know why they are important.

I have new “brain teasers.”

A  few CHEM 240 students have asked why our bodies cannot survive on anerobic respiration when oxygen supply is shut off. I invite readers to open a discussion concerning this question (I hope you all realize that you can leave comments on this space!). We can also discuss it at this week’s study tables if you wish-Wednesday 2:00 & Friday 3:00, McD. 108.

Here are some more questions relating to this topic:

1. Where does anerobic respiration occur within our bodies? Why?
2. Compare our  anerobic respiration technique with other organisms.
3. What is the importance of phosphofructokinase? What would happen if it was removed? (HINT: When I took CHEM 240, this information was important to know)

A Short Respite from Biochemistry…