Adenosine receptor

Metabolism is often viewed as an organic and chemical process that occurs in living organisms which are essential in maintaining life. The main purpose of this mechanism is to convert digested food/fuel to energy and building block for macromolecules, while also eliminating nitrogenous waste through anabolic and catabolic reactions. Catabolic reactions are chemical reactions that breakdown complex organic molecules into simple molecules while releasing energy that is stored within ATP. This…

Introduction When we hear the term substance abuse, we think about illicit drugs like crack, cocaine, marijuana, or heroin, we hardly ever think about the more mundane drugs such as caffeine. “In the US, more than 90% of adults use caffeine regularly, with an average consumption of more than 200 mg of caffeine per day - more caffeine than in two 6 ounce cups of coffee or five 12 ounce cans of soft drinks” (Nichols, 2015). This makes caffeine the perfect drug because it is widely-available, cheap…

Transcription in prokaryotes requires the formation of the holoenzyme RNA polymerase (holoRNAP), which consists of a core enzyme and a σ subunit. The core enzyme consists of 5 subunits: 2 copies of α, which assemble the enzyme and bind regulatory factors; one copy of β, which has polymerase activity of RNA chain initiation and elongation; one copy of β’, which binds nonspecifically to DNA; and omega. An active center where RNA synthesis occurs is located within the DNA binding channel formed by…

Overview of The Myocyte The myocyte is composed of various protein filaments that comprise the contractile apparatus of the cardiac cell. Myofibrils, a collection of individual sarcomeres, enable contraction and relaxation of the myocyte. The sarcomere is the chief contractile unit of the cell. It is made up of two main proteins, myosin (thick filament) and actin (thin filament), as well as two regulatory proteins, tropomyosin and troponin. In order for the myocyte to contract and shorten it…