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Metabolism

Life Sciences

Metabolism is the entire set of chemical reactions that keep a living cell or organism alive, divided into catabolism, the breakdown of molecules that releases energy, and anabolism, the building of new molecules that consumes it. Hans Krebs's 1937 discovery of the citric acid cycle, the closed loop of reactions that completes the oxidation of food molecules inside a cell's mitochondria and captures the energy released, remains the field's central example of how a catabolic pathway is organized, and gave metabolism its first detailed map.

Connections

Associated With

Adenosine Triphosphate, Concepts

ATP is the primary energy carrier consumed and regenerated by metabolic reactions

Enzyme, Concepts

Enzymes catalyze the reactions that make up metabolism

Belongs To

Source Metabolism (Wikipedia)

Studied In

Source Metabolism (Wikipedia)
Sources
Metabolism (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    Metabolic reactions may be categorized as catabolic, the breaking down of compounds, or anabolic, the building up of compounds. Usually, catabolism releases energy, and anabolism consumes energy.
  • Encompasses: Krebs Cycle
  • Belongs To: Biochemistry, Lead, sentence 1
    Metabolism (, from Greek μεταβολή (metabolē) 'change') refers to the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions that occur within living organisms.
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