ATP Synthesis

As previously mentioned, enzyme catalyzed reactions are a large contributing factor to many biological systems. In regards to metabolic pathways, ATP Synthase is a necessary enzyme that uses a concentration gradient to attach a phosphate group to an ADP molecule. This process is called phosphorylation. The bond that is created between the ADP and the phosphate group is formed by dehydration synthesis. This enzyme appears at the end of the electron transport chain in cellular respiration and at the end of the light dependent reactions in photosynthesis. Regardless of where the enzyme is found, the purpose remains the same; create useable energy in the form of ATP. In cellular respiration, the ATP can be used for several different objectives.

This is basic way that ATP synthase operates. Although in this case, the enzyme requires an input of energy. ATP synthase uses the concentration gradient made by the electron transport chain to attach a phosphate group to an ADP using dehydration synthesis. The way this enzyme operates is that it allows the H+ ions to flow through it, and give the enzyme potential energy. This works similar to a windmill, where the ions are the wind and the enzyme is the windmill. The movement of the ions through the enzyme allow the phosphate group to be attached to the ADP and an ATP molecule is made. This process can be seen in Figure 6. ATP Synthase has only one purpose, which is to create ATP molecules for the cell during cellular respiration and the light dependent reactions in photosynthesis. The main goal of cellular respiration is to produce ATP, and this enzyme achieves this. ATP synthase can be thought of as the “key role”, or the driving force, of cellular respiration. It is worth noting that ATP synthase is only important if the other chemical reactions leading up to the use of the enzyme are executed

The indirect applications are based on the idea that without ATP synthase, cellular respiration would achieve very little. This includes religious fasting and bioremediation. During religious fasting, there is generally little to no fresh input of nutrient. So the body must use fat reserves in the body to perform cellular respiration. The lipids stored in the body take a related metabolic pathway. Eventually the energy extracted from the fat fuels ATP synthase that makes ATP to be used by the body for energy, even though there is no input of nutrients. Bioremediation is the use of genetically modified organism to eat away at pollutants in the soil water. ATP synthase is related to this process as the waste becomes the input of nutrient that takes a related metabolic pathway for cellular respiration that occurs in the cells of the organism. Eventually the waste’s energy is used to create a concentration gradient and ATP synthase creates ATP to continue fueling the degradation of the pollutants. The direct applications of ATP synthase is the contributions to the light independent reactions. ATP synthase creates ATP to be used in the Calvin cycle. The importance of the Calvin cycle is that it takes the energy from the light dependent reaction and creates a sugar to be sent to cellular respiration. This process requires energy, which is provided by ATP synthase. This enzyme is