Universality of the redox couple NADPH/NADP+
Does the redox couple NADPH/NADP+ play a crucial role in all living cells, Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryota, or are there exceptions?I found on Wikipedia (bold letters are mine)The reduced form, NADPH...
View ArticleCan peptides be secondary metabolites in animals?
How do you define 'secondary metabolites' in a way that applies to more than just microbes? For example, can certain kinds of proteins be considered to be secondary metabolites, if they are not needed...
View ArticleMTHFR recessive alleles and B-vitamins
I know that being heterozygous or homozygous recessive for the MTHFR gene prevents that person from being able to process and use folate and B-12. It causes an unhealthy level of homocysteine to...
View ArticleNatto at room temperature; what is it about certain fermentations or bacteria...
I've just now learned that if I leave natto (fermented soy beans) at room temperature for a few days it can generate an ammonia odor due to continued fermentation. Living things generally generate...
View ArticleMechanics of Preferential Metabolism
I was talking to a friend and he mentioned the concept of preferential metabolism; that when two chemicals are both present, one is metabolized before the other. He gave the example of methanol and...
View ArticleWhat is the relationship between cell size and metabolism?
What effect does a bigger cell have on its metabolic activity? I understand that bigger cells need more energy, but surely smaller cells may have high metabolic rates too due to their efficiency?
View ArticleHow efficient is the human body at metabolizing food?
If a human ate a 1000 calorie hamburger, how many of those calories (how much energy) does the body process into usable energy (i.e. fat or other stores). I've heard things like "it's better to workout...
View ArticleWhat causes paradoxical ATP drops for some individuals in whole blood samples...
We used a colorimetric ATP assay for measuring ATP, and we used whole blood after lysing the blood cells to assess intracellular ATP. We sampled before intake and at timed intervals post-intake (e.g.,...
View ArticleIs Oxygen from chemical sources used for respiration in humans?
QuestionIs there theoretical or experimental evidence that oxygen atoms from molecules in the body are 'cycled back' into the respiratory or circulatory system at all?Possible sources other than air in...
View ArticleDoes alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine really cross the Blood–Brain Barrier?
The prevailing argument that alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine (alpha-GPC) is superior to other choline donors is that it "crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB)", but I can find no source that actually...
View ArticleWhy are there so many medicinal plants?
QuestionQuite a few plant species can be used for medicinal purposes wiki. As an example, Filipendula ulmaria is rich in acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin).An allele that produces a substance which is...
View ArticleWhat does it mean when an EC code has a letter in it?
I am looking through a list of EC number of reactions recorded in metanetx.And I spotted some with letters2.1.1.hn1.5.1.M42.6.1.am4.4.1.nI haven't seen that before.https://enzyme.expasy.org/ says:A few...
View ArticleCan the kidneys utilize ketone bodies for energy?
Ketone bodies are water-soluble and should pose no problem to the kidneys because of solubility. If the kidneys are able to utilize ketone bodies for energy, then they must express the enzyme...
View ArticleWhere is the source of H+ in the matrix that will be pumped during the...
In the electron transfer system, it has been mentioned in prior questions that complexes I, III, and IV are proton pumps and that these pumps pump protons from the matrix into the intermembrane...
View ArticleAre Freeman Dyson's theories on the origin of life well regarded in the wider...
Freeman Dyson, a well respected Theoretical Physicist, wrote on a range of different topics during his lifetime, including the origin of life and evolutionary biology in his 1985 book Origin of Life...
View ArticleMetabolic control theory: proof of the summation theorem?
I'm looking for a rigorous proof of the summation theorem of metabolic control theory. The only sources I find are the original papers by Kacser and Burns 1973 and Heinrich and Rapoport 1974, both of...
View ArticleWhat fraction of O in dry biomass comes from air vs water?
The net reaction of photosynthesis is, to some degree of approximation,$$\ce{6CO2 + 6H2O \to C6H12O6 + 6O2}.$$My understanding is that the $\ce{O2}$ comes from water rather than the $\ce{CO2}$, so that...
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Can lactate be created in ketosis?
After looking at Cori Cycle (from wikipedia)I have a question about how the lactate can be produced in ketosis. According to this article:in a low-glucose state, where the body senses that dietary...
View ArticleWhy do animals excrete organic nitrogen compounds instead of N2 gas?
Protein metabolism produces ammonia, which needs to be disposed of; but oxidation of ammonia into water and dinitrogen produces energy, while creating urea or uric acid consumes energy, and excreting...
View ArticleWhat happens if an enzyme stops working in the body?
For example, if the enzymes in the digestive system stop working will the digestion still occur as enzymes are only catalysts for the reactions. Thank You
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