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Coursera

Carbohydrate Metabolism

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Overview

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Carbohydrate metabolism is the set of pathways that break down and build glucose to fuel the body's cells, and this course walks through each one in turn. You'll cover glycolysis and the fate of pyruvate, gluconeogenesis and how it reciprocally regulates with glycolysis, and the citric acid cycle, glyoxylate cycle, and ketone body metabolism that follow. The course also covers the pentose phosphate pathway and its role in generating NADPH, and glycogen metabolism – how glycogen is synthesized, broken down, and regulated by hormones such as insulin and epinephrine through signal transduction and second messengers like cyclic AMP. Along the way, you'll examine the metabolism of fructose and galactose and the enzymes and disorders associated with each. By the end, you'll be able to explain how these pathways interconnect to keep blood glucose levels within a normal range.

Syllabus

  • Glycolysis and Pyruvate Metabolism
    • This module walks through the reactions of glycolysis, from the regulated first-phase steps through the ATP-yielding second phase, and examines how the fate of pyruvate differs between aerobic respiration and anaerobic fermentation.
  • Gluconeogenesis
    • This module covers the metabolism of galactose and fructose and examines gluconeogenesis as the reverse of glycolysis, focusing on the distinct enzymes and reciprocal regulatory mechanisms that keep both pathways from running simultaneously.
  • Glycogen Metabolism
    • This module explains how glycogen is built and broken down and how hormonal signals, particularly through cAMP-mediated cascades and insulin, regulate the balance between glycogen synthesis and glycogenolysis.
  • The Pentose Phosphate Pathway
    • This module covers the pentose phosphate pathway, tracing its oxidative and non-oxidative reactions and explaining its importance in supplying NADPH and pentose sugars to other metabolic processes.
  • The Citric Acid Cycle, Glyoxylate Cycle, and Ketone Body Metabolism
    • This module covers the oxidation of pyruvate and the reactions of the citric acid cycle, along with the related glyoxylate cycle and the pathway of ketone body formation and use.

Taught by

Kevin Ahern, PhD

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