IBDP Biology- Metabolic pathways controlled and Bioinformatics

 In this IBDP Biology post, we will look at:

• How metabolic pathways are controlled
• Rates of reaction calculations
• Causes and formation of Malaria

METABOLIC PATHWAYS CONTROLLED  

End-product in metabollic pathway binds to an enzyme at the start of the pathway - this stops the metabollic pathway until the end-product concentration decreases

The higher the concentration of end-product the quicker the metaollic pathway stops 

Isolucine inhibits threonine dehyrdase

• Bacteria synthesize isoleucine from threoine in a series of five enzyme catalysed steps
• As the concentration of isoleucine increases so of it binds to the allosteric site of threonine deaminase
• Isoleucine acts as a non-competitive inhibitor to thereonine deaminase
• The pathway is then turned off regulating isoleucine production
• If the concentration of isoleucine later falls then the allosteric sites of thereonine deaminase are empied and the enzymes recomences the conversion of thereonine to isoleucine  

CALCULATING RATES OF REACTION  

Measure:

• Quantity of substrate used per unit time
• Quantity of product formed per unit time 

These quantities can be measured in mass or volume

SI unit of time for rate per second is (s−1)    

BIOINFORMATICS 

Bioinformatics: An approach whereby multiple research groups can add information to a database enabling other groups to query the database 

Chemogenomics: Bioinformatics has facilitated research into metabollic pathways

• Sometimes when a chemical 

binds to a target site it can significantly alter the metabollic activity 

• Many chemicals are 

tested individually on a range of related organisms

• For each organism target sites are identified 
• Range of chemicals which are known to work on those sites are tested

MALARIA 

• Malaria is caused by a 

pathogen called Plasmoidum falciparum

• This protozoan uses mosquitoes and humans as 

hosts so can be passed on by mosquitoes 

• Increasing resistance to anti-malarial drugs has lead to use of Bioinformatics and Chemogenomics to try and identify new drugs   

In one study approx 3 000 chemical were screened against a chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 strain and the chloroquine-resistant K1 strain of P. falciparum

• Other related and non-related organisms including human cell lines were also screened
• 19 new chemicals that inhibit the enzymes normally targeted by anti-marial drugs were identified 
• Additional 15 chemicals that bind to malarial proteins were identified - helps to locate Plasmodium faliciparum 
• These findings indicate new directions for drug research  

That's all!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR IBDP BIOLOGY COURSES

References:

• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsecondaryscience4all.wordpress.com%2Fgcse-chemistry-aqa%2Fgcse-chemistry-c2%2Fc2-4-rates-of-reaction%2F&psig=AOvVaw3c1_s8CAd4Dautcqi4SkZH&ust=1625847160239000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAoQjRxqFwoTCODf8Ofu0_ECFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fopenoregon.pressbooks.pub%2Fmhccmajorsbio%2Fchapter%2F6-7-feedback-inhibition-in-metabolic-pathways%2F&psig=AOvVaw12yYhQfIVPx5U-o3h1z21d&ust=1625847272278000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAoQjRxqFwoTCJij6pzv0_ECFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftenor.com%2Fsearch%2Fbright-sun-gifs&psig=AOvVaw0FtSzKiTwOceZLOzJi7Uni&ust=1625736681287000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAoQjRxqFwoTCOjlrJ3T0PECFQAAAAAdAAAAABAx

Drafted by Venetia (Biology)