Question

When an animal confronts a "fight-or-flight" situation, the release of epinephrine promotes glycogen breakdown in the liver, heart and skeletal muscle. The end product of glycogen breakdown in the liver is glucose, but in muscle, it is pyruvate. What is the reason for the different products of glycogen breakdown in the two tissues? What is the advantage of these specific glycogen breakdown routes to an animal that must fight or flee?

Answer 1

Answer: and Explanation:

A.)The reason for the different products of glycogen breakdown in the two tissues is that glucose 6-phosphotase which is

a known enzyme that brings about hydrolysis of glucose 6-phosphate as a result of the creation of a phosphate group and free glucose is not available in heart and skeletal muscle, therefore,any glucose 6-phosphotase that is produced will just enters the glycolytic pathway and get converted to lactate through pyruvate, in the absence of Oxygen O2.

B) Whenever a situation involving fight or flight arises, the concentration of glycolytic precursors becomes high in order to prepare for muscular activity. Since the membrane is impermeable to any charged species, and at the same time glucose 6-phosphotase enzyme cannot be moved through the glucose transporter, then there cannot be a release of Phosphorylated intermediates from the cell. The blood glucose level must be maintained by the liver by releasing of glucose.

glucose that is later formed from glucose 6-phosphotase then enters the bloodstream.