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What is ATP
Adenosine
Tri Phosphate is arguably the most important molecule located within the
bodies of human beings. It carries the energy necessary to facilitate
all of the processes of human metabolism. The molecule itself is
reasonably simple (especially in comparison to the structure of some of
the other molecules commonly found in the human body) and consists of an
adenine molecule attached to three phosphate molecules (hence the tri
phosphate part of the molecular name). The molecular weight of the
molecule is around 507 grams of ATP per one mole (a mole is 6.02 x 1023
molecules).
Adenosine Tri Phosphate and Glycolysis
Glycolysis
is the first stage of the whole human respiration cycle and the whole
process is designed to take a molecule of glucose and transform it into
two molecules of pyruvate. Pyruvate molecules are then used as the
starting point for the next part of the cycle. The glycolytic pathway
relates to the ATP molecule in that during the propagation of the
pathway, two new molecules of ATP are created. These ATP molecules are
stored for use later on in the respiration cycle but at this point are
simply providing an excess of energy heavy molecules within the human
body.
Adenosine Tri Phosphate and the Krebs Cycle
The
pyruvate molecules created in the previous step then go through the
Krebs Cycle (also known sometimes as the citric acid cycle) which in
itself produces many more ATP molecules as a side product of the
reactions that take place to completely oxidize the pyruvate molecules.
By the end of the Krebs cycle, the pyruvate molecules have become
completely oxidized into carbon dioxide molecules, which are then
expelled out of the body. Other products of these reactions include
amongst them ATP molecules, which are absorbed into the mitochondria of
a cell and used to power all of the processes of that cell.
Functions of Adenosine Tri Phosphate molecules within a cell
ATP
molecules are responsible for a wide range of things within a cell. They
are the main energy providers and main fuel for almost any process that
goes on in a cell, but some of their more common and important uses are
detailed below.
Cell
Structure Maintenance: Through various processes, the cell membrane
(the outer lining of every human and animal cell) is restructured in
order to help protect the cell against intrusion by foreign organisms. In human terms, this can help guard against injuries, illnesses and
general fatigue. Whenever the cell membrane or any other structural part
of a cell undergoes a restructuring, ATP molecules are consumed to
provide the necessary energy.
DNA
Synthesis: All living organisms, to the best of our knowledge,
contain DNA in them. It is the makeup of these DNA strands that defines
who we are and what physical (and to a certain extent emotional) traits
we as individuals will possess. Whenever DNA is synthesized inside of
the human body, the energy required to do so is provided by the ATP
molecules that are present at the time (and that were created through
the processes that have already been outlined above).
Intra-Body Signals: Signaling occurs all of the time within the human
body. Whether it is a person experiencing pain after touching a hot
stove or a person starting to perspire in response to heavy exercise,
the sensations are created through signals that permeate throughout our
bodies. To facilitate the sending of these signals, ATP molecules are
used.
Summary
The ATP
molecule is one of the most important (if not the most important)
molecule that exists in our body. It is designed to be able to provide
a large amount of energy for a wide variety of processes. ATP molecules
are created primarily through the glycolysis and Krebs Cycle processes
and are used in almost every important function that our bodies
undertake.
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