Microbiology - Portage Module 2 Metabolism Exam Questions And Answers

Microbiology - Portage Module 2 Metabolism Exam Questions And Answers What is cellular metabolism? - ANS a controlled set of biochemical reactions that occur in living organisms in order to maintain life What is an enzyme? - ANS a protein, or group of proteins, that catalyze (speed up) chemical reactions What is unique about enzymes? - ANS the enzyme is not consumed during the reaction and can be used repeatedly by the cell What is a cofactor? - ANS a small chemical component, usually metal ions, that assist enzymes during the catalysis reactions Do cofactors serve as regulators of chemical reactions? - ANS Yes In the absence of the proper cofactor what happens? - ANS enzymes are inactive In the presence of the proper cofactor what happens? - ANS enzymes are active In order to produce sufficient levels of energy what must microorganisms do? - ANS microorganisms must break down complex nutrients into smaller, manageable (and useful) subunits What 3 things must enzymes break down into smaller subunits? - ANS Enzymes must break down proteins, lipids and polysaccharides into their smaller building-block molecules Fats or lipids get broken down into what? - ANS glycerol/fatty acids Most metabolic processes can be classified as either of what 2 things? - ANS catabolism or anabolism