AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an enzyme that is activated by high levels of AMP in cells. If levels of AMP are high in cells, that means that levels of ATP are low. Once active, AMPK activates catabolic pathways and inhibits anabolic pathways in the cell. Why do you think that is the case? Choose the answer that best explains the role of AMPK.
A. High levels of AMP indicate that there is a high amount of energy stored in the cell, thus activating catabolic pathways and inhibiting anabolic pathways are mechanisms to use stored energy.
B. By inhibiting anabolic pathways, AMPK provides a mechanism to generate heat for the cell, which is important if AMP levels are high in the cell.
C. By activating catabolic pathways, AMPK provides a mechanism to activate exergonic pathways, which is important if AMP levels are high in the cell.
D. Activating catabolic pathways and inhibiting anabolic pathways will ultimately lead to higher consumption of ATP, which is important if AMP levels are high in the cell.
Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content
What do you already know about AMP, ADP, and ATP in cells? What other information is related to the question?
Choose Answer
Do you have all the information needed to make a determination about the change in free energy?
Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
C. By activating catabolic pathways, AMPK provides a mechanism to activate exergonic pathways, which is important if AMP levels are high in the cell.
Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
· The question asks you to determine the role of AMPK in balancing catabolic and anabolic pathways in cells.
What type of thinking is required?
· You are being asked to dissect, or analyze, a scenario to ascertain the role of AMPK in cells.
Gather Content
What do you already know about AMP, ADP, and ATP in cells? What other information is related to the question?
· Remember that ATP is the energy currency of the cell. High levels of ATP indicate the cell is fully powered and has the energy reserves it needs to conduct cellular work. Recall also that ADP and AMP are lower-level and lowest-level energy molecules, respectively.
· If the cell is in an energy deficit, which molecule will be most prevalent: ATP, ADP, or AMP?
Choose Answer
Do you have all the information needed to make a determination about the change in free energy?
· If AMP levels are high in the cell, this indicates that energy levels in the cell are low. This in turn means that the cell would have lower levels of ATP, the high-energy currency of the cell.
· Recall that AMP can be converted to ADP and then to ATP by adding inorganic phosphate. When energy levels are low (AMP), the cell needs to generate more high energy molecules (ATP). This requires the cell to turn on energy-generating exergonic pathways and turn offendergonic pathways that require energy. Since reactions that break chemical bonds in molecules are required to capture stored energy and generate ATP, and reactions that require energy to build molecules are less needed, AMPK will most likely activate catabolic pathways and inhibit anabolic pathways.
Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
· This question asked you to analyze the most likely role of AMPK in cells when AMP levels are high and ATP levels are low.
· If you got the answer correct, congratulations! If you got an incorrect answer, were you able to correlate AMP levels with low energy and ATP levels with high energy in the cell? Were you able to determine that catabolic reactions are required to generate ATP and anabolic reactions require ATP? Were you able to connect the two ideas together to determine that high AMP levels would lead to increased catabolic (exergonic) and decreased anabolic (endergonic) reactions?
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