During glycolytic metabolism under anaerobic conditions, animals make lactate and yeast make ethanol from pyruvate. During anaerobic glycolysis, E. coli can make acetate from the pyruvate that is made from glucose. Using radical non-redox chemistry, these bacteria convert pyruvate and coenzyme A to formate and acetyl CoA using the enzyme pyruvate formate lyase. Based on your knowledge of why animals make lactate and yeast make ethanol, explain first why this enzyme is used by these bacteria rather than pyruvate dehydrogenase under anaerobic conditions. Second, explain what these acetate producing bacteria must be able to do in order to solve the problem that animals/yeast do by making lactate/ethanol (hint â itâs the âredox balanceâ problem). Finally, propose reasonable catalytic mechanisms for the next two steps in acetate production, those catalyzed by phosphate acetyltransferase and acetate kinase (include likely functional groups provided by enzymes).
During glycolytic metabolism under anaerobic conditions, animals make lactate and yeast make ethanol from pyruvate. During anaerobic glycolysis, E. coli can make acetate from the pyruvate that is made from glucose. Using radical non-redox chemistry, these bacteria convert pyruvate and coenzyme A to formate and acetyl CoA using the enzyme pyruvate formate lyase. Based on your knowledge of why animals make lactate and yeast make ethanol, explain first why this enzyme is used by these bacteria rather than pyruvate dehydrogenase under anaerobic conditions. Second, explain what these acetate producing bacteria must be able to do in order to solve the problem that animals/yeast do by making lactate/ethanol (hint â itâs the âredox balanceâ problem). Finally, propose reasonable catalytic mechanisms for the next two steps in acetate production, those catalyzed by phosphate acetyltransferase and acetate kinase (include likely functional groups provided by enzymes).
