When You Give a Yeast Cell Some Maltose

[AlexKay]

When you give a yeast cell some maltose,
it's probably going to bring it into its cytoplasm using a transmembrane protein.
When it is there, it will decide it wants glucose instead.
It'll use some maltase to hydrolyze the maltose and produce glucose.
Once it has the glucose, it'll want to do glycolysis.
The glucose will become pyruvate. This will convert two ADP to ATP, but at the same time, two NAD+ will become NADH.
The yeast will realize it has too much NADH, which will make it sad.
It will look for ways to turn it back into NAD+.
It will realize it has pyruvate decarboxylate, which it will use to break pyruvate into acetaldehyde and carbon dioxide.
Once it has the acetaldehyde, it will convert it to ethanol.
This will take the NADH back to NAD+.
This will let it do more glycolysis, but to do that, it will need glucose.
And, chances are, in order to get glucose ...
... it's going to ask you for more maltose.

 

[3 Dawg Night]

There's a brewer-dad.

 

[bracconiere]

acetyldehyde? isn't that what my liver turns ethanol into? and acetobacter turns ethanol into acetic acid, right? all got a favorite place to eat!


but i thought yeast breathed sugar? using the oxygen for metabolism?

(but i was familar with ATP NAD and stuff, interesting how biochemical "electronics" work)