Definitions and inter–relationships of glycolysis,
gluconeogenesis, glycogenesis and glycogenolysis
By
Ajibaye Olusola, Ph.D.
Department of Medical Biochemistry
EKO University of Medicine and Health
Sciences
BCH 202
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Outline
Definitions
Classes of Carbohydrates
Relationships
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Definitions
Glycolysis: breakdown of glucose into pyruvic acid,
Glycogenesis: formation of glycogen, the primary
carbohydrate stored in the liver and muscle cells of
animals, from excess glucose,
Glycogenolysis: breakdown of glycogen stored in the
liver and muscles into glucose for immediate energy
needs and maintain blood glucose level in the body,
Gluconeogenesis: making of Glucose from non-
carbohydrate sources,
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Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates, also known as saccharides, are sugars or
starches,
They consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms (C6H12O6)
There are various types of carbohydrate
They include:
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CLASS EXAMPLE
Monosaccharides (1 sugar unit) Glucose, fructose, galactose
Disaccharides (2 sugar units) Sucrose, lactose, maltose
Oligosaccharides (3-9 sugar Fructo-oligosaccharides, maltooligosaccharides,
units), Raffinose and stachyose
Starch polysaccharides (10 Amylose, amylopectin,maltodextrins
or more sugar units)
Non-starch polysaccharides Cellulose, pectins, hemicelluloses, gums, inulin
(dietary fibre)
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Functions of Carbohydrate
Building blocks for other macromolecules e.g RNA,
DNA, glycolipids, glycoproteins e.t.c
Energy source and storage
Starches and sugars (supply 4 kilocalories per gram)
Starches and disaccharides are broken down by
digestive enzymes into their constituent mono-
saccharides which are then absorbed in the
small intestine and transported into the places of use,
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The human body uses carbohydrates in the
form of glucose,
Glucose can be converted to glycogen and
stored in the liver and the muscles and is a
readily available source of energy for the body,
The brain and the red blood cells need
glucose as preferred energy source,
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Glucose may come directly from:
i.Dietary carbohydrates
ii. Glycogen breakdown (Glycogenolysis),
iii. Conversion of certain amino acids resulting from protein
breakdown (i.e glucogenic amino acids) by the process called
Gluconeogenesis,
Gluconeogenesis: making of Glucose from non-carbohydrate
starting materials (in the liver):-
-Lactate,
-Glycerol,-during starvation
-Amino acids-in starvation (not Leucine, Lysine)
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Carbohydrate Biosynthesis
Gluconeogenesis,
Glycogenesis
Substrates for Gluconeogenesis
1. Glucogenic amino acids like alanine and glutamine,
2. Lactate which is produced as a product of anaerobic
glycolysis in muscles, red blood cells etc,
3. Glycerol, which is a part of triacylglecerol molecule in
adipose tissue
4. Fatty acid,
5. Citric acid cycle intermediates through oxaloacetic
acid
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Gluconeogenesis
All the steps of Gluconeogenesis are direct reversal of
glycolysis with the same enzymes except in 3 steps
Glucose is converted to glucose-6-phosphate by
glucokinase/ hexokinase in glycolysis which is
reversed by glucose-6-phosphatase,
Fructose-6-phosphate is converted to fructose-1, 6
bisphosphate in glycolysis by phosphofructokinase
which is reversed by fructose-1, 6 bisphosphatase,
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Gluconeogenesis cont’d
Pyruvate is converted to phosphoenol pyruvate by pyruvate
kinase in glycolysis and is reversed by pyruvate carboxylase and
Phosphoenol pyruvate carboxy kinase,
Rest are steps of Glycolysis in the opposite
direction towards glucose using the same enzymes.
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Glycogenesis
Synthesis of glycogen from glucose
• Takes place in the cytosol
• Requires ATP and UTP, besides glucose
Steps
A. Synthesis of UDP-glucose
i. hexokinase (in muscle) & glucokinase (in liver) convert glucose
to glucose 6-phosphate,
ii. Phosphoglucomutase catalyzes the conversion of glucose-6-
phosphate to glucose-1-phosphate
iii. Uridine diphosphate glucose (UDP-glucose) is synthesized
from glucose 1-phosphate & UTP by UDP-glucose
pyrophosphorylase
Glycogenesis cont’d
B. Glycogen Primer
i. glycogen initiator synthase transfers the first
molecule of glucose to hydroxyl group (OH) of the
amino acid tyrosine of glycogenin
C. Primer Extension
i. Glycogen synthase transfers the glucose from
UDP-glucose to the non-reducing end of glycogen to
form ɑ- 1,4 linkages,
ii. Few more glucose units join the growing chain to
form an unbranched polysaccharide,
Glycogenesis cont’d
D. Branching of Polysaccharide
i. Glucosyl-4,6 transferase transfers a small fragment of
5 to 8 glucose residues from the nonreducing end of
glycogen chain (by breaking ɑ-1,4 linkages) to another
glucose residue where it is linked by ɑ-1,6 bond,
ii. Glycogen is further elongated & branched, by the
enzymes glycogen synthase & glucosyl-4, 6-transferase,
Biosynthesis of other sugars
1. UDP-glucose is reversibly converted to UDP-galactose
by galactosyltransferase,
2. This may combine with glucose to form Lactose,
3. Ribose formed from glucose in Pentose phosphate
pathway,
4. Fructose formed from glucose in glycolysis,
5. Maltose formed from two glucose units,
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