ATP-ADP Cycle
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to adenosine diphosphate (ADP)
transformation
OVERVIEW OF ATP
• Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the energy currency
used throughout the cell.
• ATP provides energy for the cell to do work, such as
mechanical work, transport substances across the
membrane, and perform various chemical reactions.
• ATP is composed of phosphate groups, a ribose and
adenine.
• In the structure of ATP, there are three phosphate
groups attached to adenosine.
OVERVIEW OF ATP
• The last two bonds on the phosphate groups contain
especially high energy and are therefore very useful
for doing work within living cells.
• The bonds that hold phosphate groups are easily
broken by hydrolysis which results in the release of
energy.
Adenosine
Triphosphate (ATP)
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
• The structure of ATP is composed of: sugar ribose,
nitrogen base adenine and a chain of 3-phosphate
groups.
• It mediates most energy coupling in cells; it powers
cellular work.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
• Three main kinds of work of a cell: chemical work,
transport work and mechanical work.
• These are possible through energy coupling, where
the cells use and exergonic process to drive an
endergonic reaction.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
• An exergonic reaction is a reaction that releases free
energy. Because this type of reaction releases energy
rather than consuming it, it can occur spontaneously,
without being forced by outside factors.
• An endergonic reaction is a reaction in which energy
is absorbed. Because endergonic reactions involve a
gain in energy, that energy has to be supplied from an
outside source in order for the reaction to occur.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
• chemical work: synthesis of polymers from monomers
(pushing of endergonic reactions).
• transport work: pumping of substances across
membranes (against the direction of spontaneous
movement).
• mechanical work: beating of cilia, contraction of
muscles.
• also used to make RNA (since ATP is used as one of
the nucleoside triphosphate.
HYDROLYSIS OF ATP
HYDROLYSIS OF ATP
• process of breaking down bonds between the
phosphate groups.
• this happens when a water molecule breaks the
terminal phosphate bond.
• HOPO32-, abbreviated P I leaves ATP forming
Adenosine diphosphate (ADP).
• Energy is released. This comes from the chemical
change of the system state of lower free energy and
NOT from the phosphate bonds.
HYDROLYSIS OF ATP
• Hydrolysis releases so much energy because of the
negative charges of the phosphate groups. These
charges are crowded together, and their mutual
repulsion contributes to the instability of that region of
the ATP. The energy equivalent of the triphosphate
tail of ATP is compared to a compressed spring.
How does the
Hydrolysis of ATP
Perform Work?
How does the Hydrolysis of
ATP Perform Work?
• Proof that ATP releases heat: in a test set up, the
hydrolysis of ATP releases energy in the form of heat
in the surrounding water.
How does the Hydrolysis of
ATP Perform Work?
• Most of the time when an animal is exposed in a cold
environment, the reaction of the body is through
shivering. In this reaction of the organism, shivering
uses ATP during muscle contraction to warm the
body. Since it will also be a disadvantage for
organisms to generate heat during ATP hydrolysis, in
order to maintain the living conditions inside the cell,
the energy released during ATP hydrolysis is used by
proteins to perform work: chemical, transport and
mechanical.
How does the Hydrolysis of
ATP Perform Work?
• Hydrolysis of ATP leads to change in the shape of
protein and in its ability to bind to another molecule.
Phosphorylation (ADP to ATP) and dephosphorylating
(ATP to ADP) promote crucial protein shape changes
during important cellular process.
THE REGENERATION
OF ATP
THE REGENERATION OF ATP
• ATP is a renewable it can be regenerated by the
addition of phosphate to ADP.
• Catabolism (exergonic) provides the free energy to
phosphorylate ADP. [it is the part of the metabolism
responsible for breaking complex molecules down
into smaller molecules].
THE REGENERATION OF ATP
• ATP formation is not spontaneous, so there is a need
to use free energy for the process to work.
• ATP cycle is the shuttling of inorganic phosphate and
energy.
• It couples the cell’s energy yielding processes
(exergonic) to energy consuming process
(endergonic).
THE REGENERATION OF ATP
• ATP regeneration happens very fast (10M molecules
of ATP used and regenerated per second).
• If ATP could not be regenerated by phosphorylation of
ADP, humans would use nearly their body weight in
ATP each day.
ADDITIONAL
• Phosphorylation is a biochemical process in which a
phosphate molecule is added to some organic
compound, such as glucose and adenosine
diphosphate (ADP).
• The addition of phosphate group converts ADP to
adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is a very
important compound that is used to provide energy to
carry out several processes in living cells such as
nerve impulse propagation and muscle contraction.
