Cellular metabolism pathways are important for how our cells grow and develop. We can think of these pathways in two main ways: catabolic processes and anabolic processes.
-
Catabolic Pathways:
- These pathways break down larger molecules to release energy.
- For example, in a process called cellular respiration, glucose (a type of sugar) is turned into ATP, which is energy that cells can use. This process can create about 36-38 ATP molecules for every glucose molecule.
-
Anabolic Pathways:
- These pathways help build larger molecules from smaller ones.
- A good example is photosynthesis. This happens in plant cells and uses sunlight to create chemical energy. It turns carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. To make one glucose molecule, it needs 6 carbon dioxide molecules and 6 water molecules.
How This Affects Growth and Development:
- When metabolism works well, it helps cells divide, which is important for growth. For instance, during times when we grow quickly, our cellular metabolism can increase by as much as 30%.
- Metabolism also helps make important biomolecules, like proteins and nucleic acids. These are essential for how cells function and develop.