Cardiac muscle cells need to generate significant amounts of ATP to allow for constant contractile activity.As a result,they primarily depend upon beta-oxidation of fatty acids,which has a higher energy yield than the catabolism of glucose.What would be the ATP yield for beta-oxidation of a hypothetical 10-carbon fatty acid?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ATP yield for beta-oxidation of a 10-carbon fatty acid can be calculated using the formula 2n-1, where n is the number of carbons in the fatty acid chain. Thus, for a 10-carbon fatty acid, the ATP yield would be 2^10-1 = 1023. However, two ATP are required for the activation of the fatty acid, so the net ATP yield is 1023-2 = 1021. Since fatty acid oxidation generates 1 FADH2 and 1 NADH for each round of beta-oxidation, the total ATP yield for a 10-carbon fatty acid would be:

(8 x ATP from 8 FADH2) + (8 x ATP from 8 NADH) + (2 x ATP from 2 acetyl-CoA) = 64 + 24 + 4 = 92 ATP

However, since the 10-carbon fatty acid is converted into two acetyl-CoA molecules, this process is repeated five times, for a total ATP yield of 92 x 5 = 460 ATP. Therefore, the answer is D) 62 ATP.

Cardiac Muscle Cells Need to Generate Significant Amounts of ATP