This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Adenosine 5'-triphosphate, or ATP, is the principal molecule for storing and transferring energy in cells. It is often referred to as the energy currency of the cell and can be compared to storing money in a bank. ATP can be used to store energy for future reactions or be withdrawn to pay for reactions when energy is required by the cell. Animals store the energy obtained from the breakdown of food as ATP. ATP alters the structure of the integral protein that functions as the pump, changing its affinity for sodium and potassium.
In this way, the cell performs work, pumping ions against their electrochemical gradients. Figure 1. ATP adenosine triphosphate has three phosphate groups that can be removed by hydrolysis to form ADP adenosine diphosphate or AMP adenosine monophosphate. The negative charges on the phosphate group naturally repel each other, requiring energy to bond them together and releasing energy when these bonds are broken.
At the heart of ATP is a molecule of adenosine monophosphate AMP , which is composed of an adenine molecule bonded to a ribose molecule and to a single phosphate group Figure 1. The addition of a second phosphate group to this core molecule results in the formation of adenosine diphosphate ADP ; the addition of a third phosphate group forms adenosine triphosphate ATP.
The addition of a phosphate group to a molecule requires energy. Phosphate groups are negatively charged and thus repel one another when they are arranged in series, as they are in ADP and ATP. The release of one or two phosphate groups from ATP, a process called dephosphorylation , releases energy. Hydrolysis is the process of breaking complex macromolecules apart. Water, which was broken down into its hydrogen atom and hydroxyl group during ATP hydrolysis, is regenerated when a third phosphate is added to the ADP molecule, reforming ATP.
Obviously, energy must be infused into the system to regenerate ATP. Where does this energy come from? In nearly every living thing on earth, the energy comes from the metabolism of glucose. In this way, ATP is a direct link between the limited set of exergonic pathways of glucose catabolism and the multitude of endergonic pathways that power living cells.
Recall that, in some chemical reactions, enzymes may bind to several substrates that react with each other on the enzyme, forming an intermediate complex.
An intermediate complex is a temporary structure, and it allows one of the substrates such as ATP and reactants to more readily react with each other; in reactions involving ATP, ATP is one of the substrates and ADP is a product. During an endergonic chemical reaction, ATP forms an intermediate complex with the substrate and enzyme in the reaction. This intermediate complex allows the ATP to transfer its third phosphate group, with its energy, to the substrate, a process called phosphorylation.
This is illustrated by the following generic reaction:. When the intermediate complex breaks apart, the energy is used to modify the substrate and convert it into a product of the reaction. The ADP molecule and a free phosphate ion are released into the medium and are available for recycling through cell metabolism.
Without it, cells could not transfer energy from one location to another, making it impossible for organisms to grow and reproduce! Since Adenosine Triphosphate is present in all living and active microbial cells, it is an excellent indicator of overall microbiological content in fluids or deposits. To measure it we turn to a well known example of bioluminescence; the tail of a firefly! Through a chemical reaction , ATP reacts with luciferase and light is produced.
The amount of light can be quantified in a luminometer and the amount of ATP present can then be calculated. Because this reaction happens instantly, the amount of microbiological content can be quantified immediately. Standard microbiological monitoring methods often require culturing microbes on media and waiting for them to reproduce and form visible colonies. When combined with our myLuminUltra software , you gain a true total measurement of all microorganisms contained in your sample in just a few minutes.
Having rapid information allows you to take action at the earliest possible moment, saving time and money in the battle against microorganisms. Therefore, ATP testing technology gives you the data you need to make informed decisions when it comes to microbiological threats in your system and allows you to confirm that your water management strategy is effective, all in the same shift.
Founded in , LuminUltra is a molecular biology diagnostic testing company headquartered in Canada with operations in 6 countries.
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