Introduction to Metabolism

in this video, we're going to begin our introduction to metabolism. And so metabolism is a term that refers to all of an organism's chemical reactions. And so when we're talking about all of the chemical reactions inside of an organism, that is what metabolism is referring to Now. Metabolic pathways are defined as a Siris of chemical reactions that ends up altering a substrate multiple times before the final product is released. And so notice down below. In this example image. We're showing you an image of an example metabolic pathway and so metabolic pathways. They have multiple steps and so notice that the very first substrate here substrate a is being converted into product. Be here by enzyme number one. But notice that product B is not the final product. Instead, B is going to be converted into sea by enzyme to, and C is further going to be converted into D by enzyme three and then last but not least, here D is going to be converted into E by enzyme four. And so really, here it is molecule E that is acting as the final product to this pathway, and really all of these other molecules that we see here are acting as substrates, uh, two enzymes. And so what we can see here is that enzymes can work together in a Siris of steps here in order to convert one substrate into another until the final product is released. And so when enzymes worked together in this fashion, we refer to it specifically as a metabolic pathway. And so really, there are two main types of metabolic pathways that you should be aware of, and we'll introduce those two in our next video, so I'll see you all there.

in this video, we're going to distinguish between Cata bolic and anabolic pathways. And so, really, there are two main types of metabolic pathways. The first type are going to be Cata bolic pathways or attack Eliza Um, and the second are going to be anabolic pathways or an embolism. And so Cata bolic pathways Orca tabal is, um, are going to be pathways that release energy into the environment by breaking down molecules into smaller ones. And anabolic pathways air pretty much the exact opposite. So instead of releasing energy into the environment, they're going to be spending energy or requiring an energy input. And they use that energy in order to build up larger molecules such as DNA and proteins, for instance. And so cata bolic pathways. Because they release energy into the environment, they're going to be associated with X organic processes and anabolic pathways. Because they spend energy or require an energy input, they're going to be associated with undergone IQ processes. And so let's take a look at our image down below to further distinguish between Cata Bolic and anabolic reactions and pathways. And so notice over here on the left hand side, we're focusing on, uh, metabolism. And over here, on the right hand side, we're focusing on animal is, um Now, metabolism is all about breaking down molecules, large molecules into smaller pieces. It's smaller components, whereas animal is, um, is all about building up, building larger molecules using smaller molecules. And so when you think about Kuttab, Eliza, um, you can see the word cat that is embedded inside of Kuttab, Eliza. And so when you see Ca Tabal is, um you could think about a cat. And that's because cats, really all they can do is pounce on a pyramid like this one and break it down into its smaller components. But a cat can't really do the opposite. A cat cannot build this pyramid like what we see here. If you ever see a cat build a pyramid like this, please give me a call. I'd like to see that. But when you think about Ca Tabal is, um you could think about cats and you can think about cats pouncing on pyramids and breaking down the pyramids Like what we see here Now, Animal is, um, doesn't have the word candidate. And so if there's no cat to break it down, then it's going to allow for building up. And so over here, notice that we've got, uh, for metabolism. The cat is breaking down the molecules into its smaller components. And here we have an enzyme breaking down a larger molecule into its smaller components. And then over here on the right for animal is, um, we're showing building up, so notice that the building blocks are being built up into the larger, more structured pyramid. And here we're taking the smaller building blocks, and the enzyme is converting it into a larger piece here, building up. And so, really, this is the main difference between CA tabal ism and animal is, um ca Tabal is, um is going to break down an animal is, um, is going to build up. And so that concludes our introduction to Cata Bolic and Anabolic Pathways. And we'll be able to get some practice applying these concepts as we move forward in our course. So I'll see you all in our next video

Which of the following terms specifically describes the metabolic process of breaking down large molecules?

a) Catabolism. 

b) Metabolism.

c) Anabolism.

d) Dehydration.

• A. Catabolism.
• B. Metabolism.
• C. Anabolism.
• D. Dehydration.

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding anabolic pathways?

a) They are used for digesting sugars.

b) They consume energy to build up polymers from monomers.

c) They release energy by breaking down polymers into monomers.

d) They increase the entropy of the organism.

• A. They are used for digesting sugars.
• B. They consume energy to build up polymers from monomers.
• C. They release energy by breaking down polymers into monomers.
• D. They increase the entropy of the organism.