Muscles and energy

NeilC

Graduate Poster
NeilC
Joined
Sep 1, 2005
Messages
1,347
In biology classes I attended the lessons on food and how we use it to move around was glossed over. It went something like: we break down the carbohydrates into glucose which feeds the ATP cycle and muscles use the ATP as an energy currency. Hence we can move.

I'm wondering exactly how this works. How does the energy on an ATP molecule or whatever actually get converted into kinetic energy?
 
You would need to look at Krebs Cycle and the Electron Transport Chain.

ATP is stored in the Mitochondria.

Gycogen is stored in the liver and muscle cells and is broken down to glucose to be used as an available source of energy.
 
"cellular respiration"- If you think you understandf it, you missed something.
 
nescafe, you have made my day! Thank you!!!


(where's Ryan O'Dine in this discussion... somehow I assumed this would be right up his alley.)
 
Physiotherapist said:
You would need to look at Krebs Cycle and the Electron Transport Chain.

ATP is stored in the Mitochondria.

Gycogen is stored in the liver and muscle cells and is broken down to glucose to be used as an available source of energy.
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I know about that already.

It's the actually part where the chemical energy is turned into kinetic energy that I'm short on.

I'm guessing some kind of molecular attaction must take place on millions of sites to physically move the muscle and that energy is used to create the conditions for attraction or something.
 
Splossy said:
I know about that already.

It's the actually part where the chemical energy is turned into kinetic energy that I'm short on.

I'm guessing some kind of molecular attaction must take place on millions of sites to physically move the muscle and that energy is used to create the conditions for attraction or something.
Click to expand...

Actually is very much like that just a little bit more complicated... it involves 2 main proteines and a extra group of them.

Two structural proteines named, actine and myosine are used as gears, in which ATP using a set of molecules (tromomyiosin, troponin C..) slides one against other responding to a change in Ca ++ ions concentration product of nervous stimulation. Basically, the ATP provides the energy for a change in the structure of the protein which "moves" one protein against other... the added effect of millions of this tiny filaments sliding produce muscular contraction.

It is better explained here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_contraction

:D I hope that's what you've asked for
 
The last I heard about the calcium chains, which are the nitty gritty of muscular contraction, the process was not fully understood.
 
epepke said:
The last I heard about the calcium chains, which are the nitty gritty of muscular contraction, the process was not fully understood.
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Well, what is really fully understood? :P

It's a scientific theory... just like evolution hahaha (this is to prevent someone to say that stupid catchline "it is just a theory").

What is in fact theorized is that the Ca ions have binding places in the group of proteins surrounding actyne, and when Ca does bind, there is an structural change of one of the proteins, freeing other binding spaces for interaction and formation of actyne/miosine "bridges".

At least that's what I remember :) feel free to update me
 
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