Cell metabolism, free energy

Calculation of the internal cell potential is a very complicated matter because the electrochemistry of all of the species within the protocell would have to be balanced subject to their composition quotient Q, after which the standard free energy would have to be established from tabulations. The transport of Na+ would also change this balance, along with the ionic strength of the solution and the stability of the proteins or prebiotic molecules within the protocell. Such non-equilibrium thermodynamics forms the basis of the protocell metabolism. The construction... 

Hie Free Energy of Hydrolysis of ATP within Cells The Real Cost of Doing Metabolic Business... 

The Gibbs free energy change during a reaction is a measure of the reversible work (other than pressure-volume work) that can be obtained from the process at constant T and p. Since cellular processes are isothermal and isobaric, free energies are the quantities of choice in studying metabolic processes with respect to their ability to carry out the work of cells. 

Two compounds had to be excluded from the data set. They were outliers (1.3 log units deviation) as also found in the analysis by Abraham et al. [26], It must also be remembered when considering the derived equations that log BB is a complex parameter that encompasses brain partitioning and permeability and may also depend on other processes such as metabolism, active transport, and so forth. Thus, the standard deviations of these determinations may fall within the range of the mean values. The authors could demonstrate that the derived equation could also estimate log BB outside of the training data set. Therefore, the value of the above correlation with the solvation free energy lies in its power to rank compounds for their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier before synthesis. Interestingly, it was also shown by Lombardo et al. [71] that the calculated AG°W correlated well with the determined permeability coefficient, PC, using endothelial cell monolayers from bovine brain mi-... 

A familiar example of this type of metabolite adaptation is the thiol ester derivative of acetic acid, acetyl-coenzymeA (acetylCoA). AcetylCoA has a much larger negative free energy of hydrolysis than acetate, so metabolic transformations involving the acetate ion can occur with much lower concentrations of acetylCoA than of acetate. Phosphorylated metabolic intermediates likewise allow metabolites to have high chemical potentials and occur at relatively low concentrations in the cellular water. Use of such activated intermediates enables the cell to avoid high concentrations of metabolites that can tax solvent capacity and, perhaps more important, disrupt the cell through uncontrolled chemical reactions with inappropriate molecules. 

All life processes are the result of enzyme activity. In fact, life itself, whether plant or animal, involves a complex network of enzymatic reactions. An enzyme is a protein that is synthesized in a living cell. It catalyzes a thermodynamically possible reaction so that the rate of the reaction is compatible with the numerous biochemical processes essential for the growth and maintenance of a cell. The synthesis of an enzyme thus is under tight metabolic regulations and controls that can be genetically or environmentally manipulated sometimes to cause the overproduction of an enzyme by the cell. An enzyme, like chemical catalysts, in no way modifies the equilibrium constant or the free energy change of a reaction. 

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