Question
Which of the following toxins would most likely disrupt carbohydrate metabolism in Bacteroides?
bacteroides_63126c0ef2f59.jpg
a
a toxin that inhibits the function of DNA synthase
b
a toxin that prevents the formation of Krebs cycle products
c
a toxin that causes a break-down at the electron transport chain
d
a toxin that inhibits a step of glycolysis
bacteroides_63126c0ef2f59.jpg
a
a toxin that inhibits the function of DNA synthase
b
a toxin that prevents the formation of Krebs cycle products
c
a toxin that causes a break-down at the electron transport chain
d
a toxin that inhibits a step of glycolysis
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To determine which toxin would most likely disrupt carbohydrate metabolism in Bacteroides, we need to consider the roles of the metabolic pathways involved in carbohydrate metabolism:
- **Glycolysis** is the pathway that breaks down glucose to produce pyruvate, yielding ATP and NADH in the process. If glycolysis is inhibited, the initial breakdown of carbohydrates is directly affected.
- The **Krebs cycle** (or citric acid cycle) is responsible for processing acetyl-CoA generated from glycolysis and fatty acids, producing further ATP and electron carriers (NADH and FADH2). Disruption here would affect energy yield, but it would typically follow the glycolysis step.
- The **electron transport chain** utilizes the products from the Krebs cycle to generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. Disruption would affect ATP production on a larger scale but wouldn't directly inhibit carbohydrate metabolism at the glycolysis or Krebs cycle stage.
Given these considerations, the option that would directly interrupt the carbohydrate metabolism pathway at its early stage is:
**d) a toxin that inhibits a step of glycolysis.**
This would prevent the initial breakdown of carbohydrates, which is critical for Bacteroides to derive energy from carbohydrates.
- **Glycolysis** is the pathway that breaks down glucose to produce pyruvate, yielding ATP and NADH in the process. If glycolysis is inhibited, the initial breakdown of carbohydrates is directly affected.
- The **Krebs cycle** (or citric acid cycle) is responsible for processing acetyl-CoA generated from glycolysis and fatty acids, producing further ATP and electron carriers (NADH and FADH2). Disruption here would affect energy yield, but it would typically follow the glycolysis step.
- The **electron transport chain** utilizes the products from the Krebs cycle to generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. Disruption would affect ATP production on a larger scale but wouldn't directly inhibit carbohydrate metabolism at the glycolysis or Krebs cycle stage.
Given these considerations, the option that would directly interrupt the carbohydrate metabolism pathway at its early stage is:
**d) a toxin that inhibits a step of glycolysis.**
This would prevent the initial breakdown of carbohydrates, which is critical for Bacteroides to derive energy from carbohydrates.