The Electron Transport Chain (ETC)
During the session on January 17 2020 we studied the Electron Transport Chain (ETC). The ETC is a series of complexes that transfer electrons from electron donors to electron acceptors via redox reactions.
Description The level of energy of different cells varies. The mitochondria, responsible for the energy production have in this picture two different energy states, represented by gold and silver. Cellular level art, paint on silk, digitised.
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The ETC is found in the inner mitochondrial membrane
Both reduction and oxidation reactions occur at the same time and couples this electron transfer with transfer of protons across the membrane. This creates an electrochemical proton gradient that drives the synthesis of ATP. The molecules of the chain include: peptides, enzymes, and others. The final acceptors of electrons in the ETC during aerobic respiration is molecular oxygen, although a variety of other electron acceptors such as sulfate exist in anaerobic respiration. Photosynthesis ETC are used for extracting energy via redox reactions from the sun light. In Eukaryotes, the ETC is found in the inner mitochondrial membrane where it serves as the site of oxidative phosphorilation through the action of ATP synthesis.
ETC is also found in the Thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast in photosynthetic Eukaryotes. In Bacteria, the electron transport chain is located in their cell membrane. The electron transport chain is an essential metabolic pathway that produces energy by carrying out a series of redox reactions. About 30-38 ATP molecules are produced, while in Glycolysis only 2 ATP molecules are produced. We viewed several videos showing these redox reactions leading to ATP production.