Question on enzymes involved in cellular respiration

[treeclimbingmonkey]

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To what extent should we memorize all the enzymes involved in the Krebs, glycolysis, glucogenesis, pyruvate decarboxylation, pentose phosphate pathway, and electron transport chain? It is just a lot of enzyme names that I have to memorize and am not sure if I should invest time in memorizing them if it is not required.

 

[jmu29]

I would definitely know them. Theres a lot of discrete on them. Also know which enzymes connect the cycles. Pyruvate dehydrogenase takes pyruvate from glycolysis and makes acetyl-CoA for citric. Also which enzymes do substrate level phosphorylation. Those important enzymes i would memorize at the bare minimum

 

[treeclimbingmonkey]

Thank you! I have been trying to come up with pneumonics to memorize them, especially those in the ETC and CAC.

 

[jmu29]

So what I did was draw glycolysis from glucose to pyruvate with enzymes, arrows indicating if the rxn is reversible or not, and what goes in and out (ex atp, nadh) then i drew glyconeogenesis next to it. That helped because theyre the same with a few exceptions. Cac is easier because most if the enzymes are named by their reactant. Etc isnt to bad only 4 complexes. Know nadh ->comp1->3->4 fadh2 comp2->3->4

 

[treeclimbingmonkey]

Do we need to known the complex number or like the names NADH reductase, ubiquinone, succinate dehydrogenase, cytochrome C, cytochrome oxidase/reductase. I know for sure we need to ATP synthase just not sure about the other few.

 

[jmu29]

It wouldn't hurt. I personally memorized them because I didn't study for my mcat last year and obviously did bad so I memorized all minute details this time so I can get high/low yield questions.

 

[treeclimbingmonkey]

I see thank you! I appreciate your reply.

 

[JimKimSlim]

Yes, you need to memorize all the enzymes and steps for those metabolic pathways. I found drawing a connected flowchart of all the pathways very helpful. If you have your own way of memorization from your biochemistry class, then go for it.

 

[treeclimbingmonkey]

Thank you!!!