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ATP: The Energy Currency of Cells

The document discusses bioenergetics and the role of ATP in living cells. It explains that all living organisms must perform work to grow and reproduce, which requires harnessing energy from sources and channeling it into biological work. Cells perform many energy conversions, such as chemical energy into motion, heat, and light. ATP acts as the common energy currency in cells, being constantly recycled from ADP and phosphate. When cells need energy, they hydrolyze ATP. The energy from ATP is used for chemical work like synthesis, transport work like pumping substances, and mechanical work like muscle contraction.

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280 views2 pages

ATP: The Energy Currency of Cells

The document discusses bioenergetics and the role of ATP in living cells. It explains that all living organisms must perform work to grow and reproduce, which requires harnessing energy from sources and channeling it into biological work. Cells perform many energy conversions, such as chemical energy into motion, heat, and light. ATP acts as the common energy currency in cells, being constantly recycled from ADP and phosphate. When cells need energy, they hydrolyze ATP. The energy from ATP is used for chemical work like synthesis, transport work like pumping substances, and mechanical work like muscle contraction.

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baekhyunee exo
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BIOCHEMISTRY

TRANS / [BIOENERGETICS] chapter 12

● Living cells and organisms must underlying these


perform work to stay alive, transductions.
○ To grow and to reproduce
themselves.
LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS
● The ability to harness energy from
various sources and to channel it ★ Law of Conservation of energy
into biological work ○ In any physical or chemical
○ Is a fundamental property of change, the total amount of
all living organisms. energy in the universe
● Modern organisms carry out a remains constant,
remarkable variety of energy ○ Although the form of energy
transductions, may change.
○ Conversions of one form of
energy to another. ★ Law of Entropy
● They use chemical energy in fuels to ○ In all natural processes, the
bring about the synthesis of complex entropy of the universe
molecules from simple precursors, increases.
○ Producing macromolecules
with highly ordered ● The laws of thermodynamics explain
structures. why the entropy of the universe
● They also convert the chemical spontaneously increases,
energy of various fuels into ○ And why organisms need a
○ Concentration gradients and constant input of usable
electrical gradients, motion, energy to maintain their
heat, and light, as in the case organization
of fireflies.
● Photosynthetic organisms transduce ATP: ENERGY FOR CELLS
or convert light energy
● ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is
○ into all of these other forms
the common energy currency of
of energy.
cells;
○ When cells require energy,
BIOENERGETICS they spend ATP.
● You may think that this causes our
● Is the quantitative study of the
bodies to produce a lot of ATP, and it
energy transductions
does.
○ that occur in living cells and
● However, the amount on hand at any
of the nature and function of
one moment is minimal
the chemical processes
○ Because ATP is constantly
being recycled from ADP

BIOCHEMISTRY GIDELINE A. ONDE


BIOCHEMISTRY
TRANS / [BIOENERGETICS] chapter 12

(adenosine diphosphate) and


phosphate.
FUNCTIONS OF ATP

● ATP is a nucleotide ★ Chemical work


○ composed of the base ○ Supplies the energy needed
adenine and the sugar ribose to synthesize
■ together called macromolecules
adenosine ■ that make up the cell
○ And three phosphate groups. ★ Transport work
● ATP is called a “high-energy” ○ Supplies the energy needed
compound to pump substances
○ Because a phosphate group ■ across the plasma
is easily removed. membrane
★ Mechanical work
The use of ATP as a carrier of energy has ○ Supplies the energy needed
some advantages: to permit muscles to contract,
1. It provides a common energy ■ Cilia and flagella to
currency that can be used in many beat, chromosomes
different types of reactions. to mo
2. When ATP becomes ADP+P, the
amount of energy released is just
about enough for biological
purposes, and so little energy is
wasted.
3. ATP breakdown is coupled to
endergonic reactions in such a way
that minimizes energy loss.

BIOCHEMISTRY GIDELINE A. ONDE

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