Respiration in Plants

Cellular Respiration & Glycolysis

Cellular Respiration

• Mechanism of breakdown of food materials within the cell to release energy, and the
trapping of this energy for ATP synthesis.

• Respiratory substrates: Compounds oxidised during respiration; usually carbohydrates;

these can also be proteins, fats or organic acids

• ATP: Energy currency of a cell; broken down whenever energy is needed

• Plants do not need specialised organs for respiration because:

• Gaseous exchange occurs in each part of a plant.

• Gaseous exchange is not a much-needed factor. During photosynthesis, the need for
gaseous exchange is met.

• Each living cell is located close to the surface of a plant. So the distances that the gases
must diffuse are not great.

• Equation for respiration:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy

Glycolysis (Glycos − Sugar, Lysis − Splitting)

• Breakdown of glucose to pyruvic acid by partial oxidation

• Scheme given by Embden, Meyerhof and Parnas

• Common pathway for aerobic and anaerobic cellular respiration

• Occurs in the cytoplasm of a cell

• Present in all living organisms

• In plants, sucrose is converted into glucose.

•
• A chain of 10 reactions converts glucose into pyruvate.

• Hexokinase: Enzyme that phosphorylates glucose to produce glucose − 6 − phosphate

• 2 ATPs are utilised in two steps:

• Glucose → Glucose − 6 − phosphate (1 ATP)

• Fructose − 6 − phosphate → fructose 1, 6 − bisphosphate (1 ATP)

• Fructose 1, 6 bisphosphate splits into glyceraldehyde − 3 − phosphate and dihydroxy

acetone phosphate.

• Glyceraldehyde − 3 − phosphate converts into two molecules of 1, 3

bisphosphoglycerate (BPGA), with subsequent conversion of NAD+ to NADH + H+.

• 4 ATPs are yielded in two steps:

• BPGA → PGA (1 × 2 = 2 ATPs)

• Phosphoenol pyruvate → Pyruvic acid (1 × 2 =2 ATPs)

• ATPs produced directly = 4 (produced) − 2 (consumed) = 2 ATPs

• Net ATPs Produced = 2 (NADH+ H+) = 6 ATPs + 2 (Directly synthesised) = 8 ATPs

• The pyruvate, so produced, may undergo:

• Lactic acid fermentation

• Alcoholic fermentation

• Aerobic respiration (Krebs cycle)

Fermentation

• Fermentation: Incomplete oxidation of glucose under anaerobic conditions

• In yeast fermentation:

• Pyruvic acid → Ethanol + CO2

• Enzymes involved − Pyruvic acid decarboxylase, Alcohol dehydrogenase

• In bacterial fermentation:

• Pyruvic acid → Lactic acid

• Enzyme involved − Lactate dehydrogenase

• Similar reaction occurs in animal muscles in anaerobic conditions, say during exercise.

• Reducing agent in both reactions is NADH.

NADH + H+ → NAD+

• Only 7% of energy of glucose is released during fermentation.

• Process can be hazardous as alcohol or acid is produced. Yeasts poison themselves to

death when alcohol concentration reaches about 13%.
 Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle

Aerobic Respiration

• Site: Mitochondria

• Events:

• TCA cycle (in the mitochondrial matrix) − complete oxidation of pyruvate by stepwise
removal of all hydrogen atoms, which leaves three molecules of CO2

• Electron Transport Chain and Oxidative phosphorylation (in the inner membrane of
the mitochondria) − electrons removed as a part of hydrogen atoms are passed on to
molecular oxygen, with the simultaneous synthesis of ATP

Formation of Acetyl Coenzyme A

• The product of glycolysis, i.e., pyruvate, on entering the mitochondrial matrix,

undergoes Oxidative Decarboxylation, thereby producing acetyl CoA which enters
Krebs cycle.

Krebs cycle (Tricarboxylic acid cycle; TCA)

• Acetyl group condenses with oxaloacetic acid and water to yield citric acid (catalysed by
the enzyme citrate synthase)

• Citrate isomerises into isocitrate

• Two successive decarboxylation steps follow, leading to the formation of α ketoglutaric

acid, followed by succinyl CoA

• This is followed by the conversion of succinyl CoA into succinic acid. During this
process, GDP is converted into GTP (substrate level phosphorylation).

• In a coupled reaction, GTP is converted into GDP, simultaneously synthesising ATP

from ADP.

• Conversion of one molecule of pyruvate into acetyl CoA yields 1 molecule of CO2 and 1
NADH.

• One Kreb's cycle yields 2 CO2 + 3 NADH + 1 FADH2 + 1 ATP

• Overall equation:

• For continued oxidation of acetyl CoA in TCA 2 things are required:

• Continued replenishment of oxaloacetic acid

• Regeneration of NAD+ and FAD+ from NADH and FADH2 respectively.

 Electron Transport Chain and Oxidative Phosphorylation

Electron Transport Chain (ETS)

• NADH and FADH2 are oxidised to release the energy stored in them.

• Electrons are passed from one carrier to another, and finally to oxygen, resulting in the
formation of water.
• Electrons produced by NADH in the mitochondrial matrix are oxidised by Complex
I (NADH dehydrogenase).

• Electrons are then transferred to ubiquinone, located in the inner mitochondrial

membrane. Ubiquinone receives reducing equivalents through Complex II (FADH2).

• Reduced ubiquinone (ubiquinol) is then oxidised by the transfer of electrons

from Complex III (cytochrome bc1 complex) to cytochrome c.

• Cytochrome c transfers the electrons between Complex III and Complex

IV (Cytochrome c − oxidase complex consists of cyt a and a3, along with two copper
centres).

• In the course of passing from one carrier to another, electrons couple with Complex
V (ATP synthase) and produce ATP.

• Oxidation of 1 NADH produces 3 ATPs.

Oxidation of 1 FADH2 produces 2 ATPs.
• Role of oxygen in the terminal stage of ETS: It acts as the final hydrogen acceptor;
removes hydrogen from the process and drives the whole process

Oxidative Phosphorylation

• Production of proton gradient needed for the production of ATP is provided by the
energy of oxidation−reduction reaction. Therefore, the process is called oxidative
phosphorylation.

• Complex V (ATP synthase) is involved. It has two major components

• F0 − integral membrane protein; forms a channel through which H+ cross the inner
membrane

• F1 − passage of H+ induces conformational changes in F1, which forms a site for

synthesis of ATP from ADP; for each ATP produced, 2H+ pass through F0, down the
electrochemical proton gradient

Respiratory Balance Sheet and Respiratory Quotient

Respiratory Balance Sheet

• It gives the net gain of ATP for every 1 molecule of glucose oxidised.

• Certain assumptions are made for calculating the net gain of ATP:

• An orderly pathway is followed − Glycolysis, followed by TCA cycle, followed by ETS

• NADH synthesised during glycolysis enters the mitochondria to undergo oxidative

phosphorylation.

• Except glucose, no other substrate enters the pathway at any stage.

• Intermediates do not synthesise any other compound in the pathway.

• There can be a net gain of 36 ATPs during aerobic respiration of 1 molecule of glucose.
Glucose + 6O2 + 36ADP + 36Pi → 6CO2 + 42H2O + 36ATP

Comparison between fermentation and aerobic respiration

Fermentation Aerobic Respiration

1. Partial breakdown of glucose 1. Complete breakdown of glucose into

CO2 and H2O

2. Net gain of only 2 molecules of ATP 2. Net gain of 36 molecules of ATP

3. Here, oxidation of NADH to NAD+ is a 3. Here, oxidation of NADH to NAD+ is a

slow reaction vigorous reaction

Amphibolic Pathway

• Favoured substrate for respiration is glucose. All carbohydrates first convert into
glucose to enter the pathways.

• Other substrates do enter the respiratory pathways, but not during the first stage.

• Fats:

• Fats → Glycerol + Fatty acid

• Fatty acids → Acetyl CoA

Acetyl CoA enters the pathway

• Glycerol → PGAL

• Proteins:

• Proteins Amino acids

• Enter intermediate stages of TCA

• Amphibolic pathway: Involved in both anabolism and catabolism

• Fatty acids break into acetyl CoA to enter the respiratory pathway (Anabolism).

• Acetyl CoA is removed from the respiratory pathway whenever fatty acids need to be
synthesised (catabolism).

• Thus, respiratory intermediates form a link during anabolism and catabolism.

Respiratory Quotient (RQ)

• Ratio of the volume of CO2 evolved to the volume of O2 consumed during respiration is
called the respiratory quotient (RQ).

• RQ =

• Depends upon the type of respiratory substrate

• RQ = 1 (When carbohydrate is used as substrate)

• C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy

RQ =

• RQ < 1 (When fat is used as respiratory substrate)

E.g. When fatty acid, tripalmitin is used, RQ = 0.7

• RQ ≈ 0.9 (When protein is used as substrate)

• RQ is infinity in anaerobic respiration as CO2 is evolved, but O2 is not utilised.