All cells require energy to live. In your assigned reading for this week, you learned how cells generate and then utilize that energy through the metabolic process.
As our understanding of these mechanisms has improved, we have been able to apply that knowledge for our own benefit. For example, the aerobic and anaerobic respiration processes of various organisms have been harnessed by both the food and drinks companies and the waste/biofuels industries. Also, consider the impact of understanding the cause of a metabolic disease and the therapies we can use. These are just a few illustrations of a rather vast field of research.
For this Learning Journal, choose ONE of the areas mentioned above that you would like to learn more about and write two or three paragraphs describing the process and how it relates to metabolism within the cell. Provide at least one specific (named) example in your description and how our understanding of that particular disease/enzyme/cell type has been of benefit to us and if you consider the use of this knowledge to have a major impact on our everyday lives.
- Example 1) you could describe the metabolic process of the bacteria that is used during cheese making, indicating the type of respiration that is happening during the process and the chemical reactions necessary for the formation of lactic acid.
- Example 2) you could describe the mechanism of drugs such as the statins, which inhibit the function of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase and so reduce the synthesis of cholesterol in the body. You could report the manner in which the inhibitors interact with their enzyme target, if they are allosteric or competitive and what the result of that inhibition is to the cell. (Try to pick an alternative example to statins).
