Question

Different metabolic control systems have different characteristic time scales for a control response to be achieved. Match the time scale with the control system.
a. Covalent modification
b. Allosteric control
c. Gene expression

1. Seconds to minutes
2. Milliseconds
3. Hours

Answer 1

Answer:

a. Covalent modification = Seconds to minutes

b. Allosteric control = Milliseconds

c. Gene expression = Hours

Explanation:

Covalent modifications refer to the addition and/or removal of chemical groups by the action of particular enzymes such as methylases, acetylases, phosphorylases, phosphatases, etc. For example, histones are chromatin-associated proteins covalently modified by enzymes that add methyl groups (histone methylation), acetyl groups (histone acetylation), phosphate groups (histone phosphorylation), etc. Moreover, allosteric control, also known as allosteric regulation, is a type of regulation of the enzyme activity by binding an effector molecule (allosteric modulator) at a different site than the enzyme's active site, thereby triggering a conformational change on the enzyme upon binding of an effector. Finally, gene expression encompasses the cellular processes by which genetic information flows from genes to proteins (i.e., transcription >> translation). In metabolic pathways, enzymes that are able to catalyze irreversible reactions represent sites of control (for example, during glycolysis, pyruvate kinase is an enzyme that catalyzes an irreversible reaction, thereby serving as a control site). In turn, enzymatic activity is modulated by covalent modifications or reversible binding of allosteric effectors. Finally, metabolic pathways are also modulated by gene regulatory mechanisms that control the transcription of specific enzymes required for such pathways. During these processes, the times required for allosteric regulation, covalent modification (e.g., phosphorylation) and transcriptional control can be counted in milliseconds, seconds, and hours, respectively.