Biochemistry : Lipid Catabolism Energetics
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Biochemistry
All Biochemistry Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Lipid Catabolism Energetics
Suppose that a fatty acid containing twelve carbons is broken down via beta oxidation. How many total molecules of ATP will be generated from this fatty acid?
To answer this question, we'll need to keep in mind some of the highlights of beta oxidation. When a fatty acid is broken down by this method, the hydrocarbon chain is broken down two carbons at a time through a series of repeating reactions. These two carbons come off in the form of acetyl-CoA, with an additional generation of one molecule each of NADH and 
And if we add to this the six ATP that was generated directly by substrate-level phosphorylation in the citric acid cycle, that gives us a total of:
Example Question #1 : Lipid Catabolism Energetics
Consider the beta-oxidation of palmitate, a sixteen-carbon fatty acid chain.
If we look only at the formation of acetyl-CoA, how many acetyl-CoA are produced by the the oxidation of palmitate compared to the oxidation of glucose?
They both form an equal number of acetyl-CoA
Palmitate is a sixteen-carbon chain and its beta-oxidation will produce 8 acetyl-CoA molecules, since each acetyl-CoA is two-carbons long. Glucose, on the other hand, will be broken down to form 2 acetyl-CoA molecules. Therefore, palmitate forms 4 times as many acetyl-CoA molecules.
Certified Tutor
All Biochemistry Resources
