EK Bio1001 Biochem questions

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basophilic

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Question 259: mitochondrial ATP/ADP exchanger is blocked; what's the consequence?
A) increased rate of respiration
C) increased intermembrane acidity
I understand why C is true, but I felt A was a better answer because to the cell the mitochondria are being lazy so will just turn to anaerobic and burn more glucose; also, while the intermembrane acidity WOULD increase, it will quickly stop increasing when no more ATP can be synthesized.
Am I assuming too much?
 
The thing about this type of question is that we are usually assuming everything else in the body is functioning normally. That is we are getting enough oxygen, glucose, and so on, except for this one tiny little detail: the mitochondria is no longer making phosphorylating ADP. So what happens?

Well, glucose still goes through glycolysis and the TCA cycle. The TCA cycle still produces NADH and FADH2, which will still go to the mitochondrial membrane for the electron transport chain. The membrane protein pumps (which I forgot the specific names for) still pump protein up inside the mitochondrial intermembrane space from the electron carrier (NADH and FADH2). The electron from the NADH still goes through the pumps (again, name?) and eventually create H2O inside the mitochondria. The proteins themselves still go on and accumulate to a certain threshold in the intermembrane space.

But this is where the messup occurs. Since the ATP/ADP exchanger is blocked, the H can try and supply the ATP/ADP exchanger but it will no longer work. So you never make ATP. What happens if the exchanger isn't using up the hydrogen? The acidity inside the intermembrane space will sky rocket, since the rest of the body never got the memo and continues to go through glycolysis, TCA, and dump H into the electron transport chain. So more and more H comes in, but none can leave = increased acidity (decreased pH).

So, to clarify: while ATP stops being made, the intermembrane acidity will continue to increase.

I am not sure how increased rate of respiration could be true, but if you explained your reasoning maybe we can figure it out.

Edit: Cells don't necessarily turn to anaerobic ATP production because there's decreased ATP, they go anaerobic if there's not enough oxygen to fuel aerobic respiration. Otherwise if I go for a run and use up my ATP, my body would turn anaerobic and miss the opportunity to use all this oxygen I'm inhaling!
 
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Ah ok, bad assumption on my part with the anaerobic resp
I guess it was also a bad assumption that proton translocation would stop very soon after toxin is administered.
But outside the mitochondrion, the cell thinks the mitochondrion might not have the fuel/resources for ATP production, so wouldn't it start burning more glucose to rectify that?
 
Yep, that can happen as well. This would actually make matters worse: more glucose would be put through glycolysis, TCA, and thus more hydrogen would reach the mitochondrial membrane. Ultimately decreasing the pH even further.

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