EngineeringofBiologicalProcessesLecture2Biosynthesis.pptVIP

Engineering of Biological ProcessesLecture 2: Biosynthesis Mark Riley, Associate Professor Department of Ag and Biosystems Engineering The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2007 Anabolic processes Biosynthesis – builds larger molecules from smaller ones formation of cellular components amino acids for proteins storage of sugars (glycogen) nucleic acids lipids and hormones cholesterol and vitamins growth and mineralization of bone and increase of muscle mass. Integration of metabolism Universal energy currency ATP generated by oxidation of fuel molecules (glucose, fatty acids, amino acids) Biosynthesis vs. degradation NADH primary reducing power for degradative reactions NADPH is the major electron donor in reductive biosyntheses Biosynthetic and degradative pathways are almost always distinct Biomolecules are constructed from a small set of building blocks (often components of catabolic cycles) Is ATP a high energy compound? No, it has an intermediate level of energy compared with other biological molecules. The DG for hydrolysis is intermediate compared to that for other reactions. The energy released in cleaving ATP is used to support reactions that are normally thermodynamically unfavorable. Example Synthesis of glutamine from glutamate Glutamate- + NH4+ Glutamine DG= + 14.2 kJ/mol – not thermodynamically favored 2 step process Glutamate- + ATP 5 Phosphoglutamate + ADP 5 Phosphoglutamate + NH4+ Glutamine + Pi Overall: Glutamate- + ATP + NH4+ ADP Glutamine + Pi DG = -16.3 kJ/mol Manufacturing biological products Cell Environment (T, pH, flow, O2) Nutrients (sugars, amino acids) Control scheme nutrient feeding, product removal, cell growth Bioseparation train Integration plan how does this all work? How to stimulate production of desired compounds Generate a lot of precursor molecules Turn off degradative pathways and / or pathways which consume precursor to make other products Hormones - molecular signals th