Explain the process of how this drug would affect oxidative phosphorylation? (b) What changes would be made to the overall process of cellular respiration and the processes involved in ATP synthesis?

Question

A biochemical drug was created by a grade 12 teacher in an attempt to secretly poison his grade 12 biology class. This drug affected the process of cellular respiration and had a side-effect of causing the students to break into song and dance while forcing them to alter the lyrics of well-known songs so that they could understand how cellular respiration takes place in the body. This drug is a very strong but strange oxidizer that oxidizes the cytochrome b-c1 in the ETC. (a) Explain the process of how this drug would affect oxidative phosphorylation? (b) What changes would be made to the overall process of cellular respiration and the processes involved in ATP synthesis?

Your answer

Answer 1

Hey! So in order for the electron transport chain to work, the cytochromes each need to be able to be reduced in order to carry the electrons through the chain. Cytrochrome b-c1 is in the complex three and is a key part of the Q cycle. Hypothetically, if a drug were to oxidize this one, it could stop the process of electron flow, but that depends what state it is oxidizing it to.... If the electron flow were to stop, oxidative phosphorylation couldn't happen at all. Does that help?