BASIC CONCEPTS IN BIOCHEMISTRY A STUDENT'S SURVIVAL GUIDE Second Edition HIRAM F. GILBERT, Ph.D. Professor of Biochemistry Baylor College of Medicine Houston,Texas McGraw-Hill Health Professions Division New York St. Louis San Francisco Auckland Bogotá Caracas Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan Montreal New Delhi San Juan Singapore Sydney Tokyo Toronto • • • • • • • • • • • • BASIC CONCEPTS IN BIOCHEMISTRY, 2/E Copyright © 2000, 1992 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as per- mitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 1234567890 DOCDOC 99 ISBN 0-07-135657-6 This book was set in Times Roman by Better Graphics, Inc. The edi- tors were Steve Zollo and Barbara Holton; the production supervisor was Richard Ruzycka; the index was prepared by Jerry Ralya. R. R. Donnelley and Sons was the printer and binder. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file for this book at the Library of Congress. P R O L O G U E • • Basic Concepts in Biochemistry: A Student’s Survival Guideis not a con- ventional book: It is not a review book or a textbook or a problem book. It is a book that offers help in two different ways—help in understanding the concepts of biochemistry and help in organizing your attack on the subject and minimizing the subject’s attack on you. This book presents what are often viewed as the more difficult con- cepts in an introductory biochemistry course and describes them in enough detail and in simple enough language to make them understand- able. We surveyed first- and second-year medical students at a national student meeting asking them to list, in order, the parts of biochemistry they found most difficult to understand. The winner (or loser), by far, was integration of metabolism. Metabolic control, pH, and enzyme kinetics ran closely behind, with notable mention given to molecular biology and proteins. Biochemistry texts and biochemistry professors are burdened with the task of presenting facts, and the enormity of this task can get in the way of explaining concepts. Since I don’t feel burdened by that necessity, I’ve only outlined most of the facts and concentrated on concepts. My rationale is that concepts are considerably easier to remember than facts and that concepts, if appropriately mastered, can minimize the amount of material that has to be memorized—you can just figure everything out when required. In Basic Concepts in Biochemistry, central concepts are developed in a stepwise fashion. The simplest concepts provide a review of what might have been forgotten, and the more complex concepts pre- sent what might not have been realized. • • • • • • • • • • • • xv C O N T E N T S • • Preface xiii Prologue xv CHAPTER 1 WHERE TO START 1 Instructions 1 What Do I Need to Know? 2 Instructions for Use 2 Studying and Exams 2 Trivia Sorter 4 CHAPTER 2 PROTEIN STRUCTURE 6 Amino Acid Structure 6 Interactions 8 Water 9 Hydrophobic Interaction 9 van der Waals Interactions and London Dispersion Forces 11 Hydrogen Bonds 11 Secondary Structure 12 Protein Stability 15 Favorable (Good) Interactions 17 Unfavorable (Bad) Interactions 17 Temperature-Sensitive Mutations 19 Ligand-Binding Specificity 20 Global Conclusion 21 CHAPTER 3 MEMBRANES AND MEMBRANE PROTEINS 22 General Membrane Function 22 Membrane Composition 23 Phospholipid Bilayer 24 Membrane Structure 25 Posttranslational Modification 26 Membrane Fluidity 27 Diffusion in Membranes 28 Movement of Ions and Molecules Across Membranes 28 v • vi• Contents Transport Across Membranes 29 The Nernst Equation 31 CHAPTER 4 DNA-RNA STRUCTURE 35 DNA Structure 35 DNA Stability 37 RNA Secondary Structure 38 CHAPTER 5 EXPRESSION OF GENETIC INFORMATION 40 Information Metabolism 40 Directions and Conventions 41 DNA Replication 42 Types of DNA Polymerase 45 Recombination 47 Regulation of Information Metabolism 49 Transcription 53 Regulation of Transcription 55 Translation 57 Use of High-Energy Phosphate Bonds During Translation 60 CHAPTER 6 RECOMBINANT-DNA METHODOLOGY 61 Restriction Analysis 61 Gels and Electrophoresis 65 Blotting 67 Restriction Fragment-Length Polymorphism 69 Cloning 70 Sequencing 73 Mutagenesis 75 Polymerase Chain Reaction 76 CHAPTER 7 ENZYME MECHANISM 80 Active Site 81 Transition State 81 Catalysis 83 Lock and Key 83 Induced Fit 83 Nonproductive Binding 85 Entropy 87 Strain and Distortion 88 Contents • vii• Transition-State Stabilization 88 Transition-State Analogs 91 Chemical Catalysis 93 CHAPTER 8 ENZYME KINETICS 95 S, P, and E (Substrate, Product, Enzyme) 96 Amounts and Concentrations 96 Active Site 97 Assay 98 Velocity 98 Initial Velocity 100 Mechanism 101 Little k’s 102 Michaelis-Menten Equation 103 V 106 max k 106 cat K 107 m Special Points 107 k /K 107 cat m Rate Accelerations 108 Steady-State Approximation 109 Transformations and Graphs 111 Inhibition 112 Allosterism and Cooperativity 117 The Monod-Wyman-Changeaux Model 119 CHAPTER 9 SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION PATHWAYS 123 Signal Transduction Pathways 123 Organization 124 Signals 125 Receptors 126 Soluble Receptors 126 Transmembrane Receptors 128 Enzyme Coupled Receptors 128 G-Protein Coupled Receptors 131 Ion-Channel Coupled Receptors 132 Second Messengers 133 Amplifiers 136 Integrators 137 Inhibitors 138 • viii• Contents CHAPTER 10 GLYCOLYSIS AND GLUCONEOGENESIS 141 Glycolysis Function 143 Glycolysis Location 143 Glycolysis Connections 143 Glycolysis Regulation 143 Glycolysis ATP Yields 144 Glycolysis Equations 144 Effect of Arsenate 144 Lactate or Pyruvate 145 Gluconeogenesis Function 145 Gluconeogenesis Location 145 Gluconeogenesis Connections 145 Gluconeogenesis Regulation 146 Gluconeogenesis ATP Costs 146 Gluconeogenesis Equations 146 CHAPTER 11 GLYCOGEN SYNTHESIS AND DEGRADATION 147 Function 147 Location 147 Connections 148 Regulation 148 ATP Yield 150 ATP Cost 150 Molecular Features 150 CHAPTER 12 TCA CYCLE 153 TCA Cycle 153 CHAPTER 13 FAT SYNTHESIS AND DEGRADATION 155 Fatty Acid Synthesis Function 156 Fatty Acid Synthesis Location 156 Fatty Acid Synthesis Connections 157 Fatty Acid Synthesis Regulation 157 Fatty Acid Synthesis ATP Costs (for C ) 157 16 Fatty Acid Synthesis Equation 159 Elongation and Desaturation 160 Triglyceride and Phospholipid Synthesis 162 Contents • ix• (cid:2)-Oxidation Function 164 (cid:2)-Oxidation Location 164 Carnitine Shuttle 164 (cid:2)-Oxidation Connections 164 (cid:2)-Oxidation Regulation 164 (cid:2)-Oxidation ATP Yield 166 (cid:2)-Oxidation Equation 167 (cid:2)-Oxidation of Unsaturated Fatty Acids 168 (cid:2)-Oxidation of Odd-Chain-Length Fatty Acids 172 CHAPTER 14 ELECTRON TRANSPORT AND OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION 173 Oxidation and Reduction 173 The Electron Transport Chain 174 Connections 176 Regulation 178 P/O Ratios 178 Uncouplers 179 Inhibitors 180 CHAPTER 15 PENTOSE PHOSPHATE PATHWAY 183 Pentose Phosphate Pathway 183 CHAPTER 16 AMINO ACID METABOLISM 186 Nonessential Amino Acid Synthesis 186 Essential Amino Acids 187 Amino Acid Degradation 187 Generalities of Amino Acid Catabolism 187 Products of Amino Acid Degradation 188 CHAPTER 17 INTEGRATION OF ENERGY METABOLISM 190 Integrating Metabolic Pathways 191 ATP 192 Glucose 192 Storage Molecules 193 Metabolic States and Signals 194 Insulin 195 • x• Contents Glucagon 196 Epinephrine 197 Secondary Signals 198 Generalities of Metabolism 199 Phosphorylation 202 Glycogen 204 Metabolic Movements of Glycogen 205 Fat 207 Metabolic Movements of Fat 207 Protein 209 Metabolic Movements of Protein 209 Tissue Cooperation 211 Liver 212 Muscle 212 Adipose 212 Brain 213 Connection of Storage Pools 213 Feeding 214 Fasting 214 Starvation 217 Excitement 219 Interorgan Cycles 221 Cori Cycle 221 Alanine Cycle 222 Ketone Bodies 223 CHAPTER 18 UREA CYCLE 225 Urea Cycle 225 CHAPTER 19 PURINE METABOLISM 227 Purine Synthesis 227 Purine Salvage 228 Deoxynucleotides 228 Purine Degradation 229 CHAPTER 20 PYRIMIDINE METABOLISM 230 Pyrimidine Synthesis 230 Pyrimidine Salvage 231 Pyrimidine Degradation 232 Contents • xi• CHAPTER 21 ONE-CARBON METABOLISM 233 One-Carbon Metabolism 233 Oxidation States of Carbon 233 CHAPTER 22 TRACKING CARBONS 236 Glucose to Pyruvate 236 TCA Cycle 238 CHAPTER 23 ph,pK , pROBLEMS 241 A (cid:3) (cid:3) Proton: H or H O 242 3 Acid 242 Base 242 Not All Acids and Bases Are Created Equal 243 pK (cid:4) (cid:5)log (K ) 244 a a Weak Acids Make Strong Bases (and Vice Versa) 244 Who Gets the Proton? 245 Don’t Forget Stoichiometry 245 The Sadistic Little p 246 Taking log (x) 247 10 Taking (cid:5)log (x) 247 10 pH (cid:4) (cid:5)log [H(cid:3)] 248 10 pK (cid:4) (cid:5)log (K ) 248 a 10 a Buffers 248 Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation 249 Titration Curves 250 pI—Isoelectric Point 254 The Bicarbonate Buffer 255 Imbalance in Blood pH 257 Acidosis and Alkalosis 258 CHAPTER 24 THERMODYNAMICS AND KINETICS 261 Thermodynamics 261 Free Energy 263 Adding Free-Energy Changes 268 Coupling Free Energies 268 Thermodynamic Cycles 269 (cid:6)G (cid:4) (cid:6)H (cid:5) T(cid:6)S 272 Driving Force 273