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Name: Bill
Status: Other
Grade:  Other
Location: N/A
Country: United States
Date: February 2005
Question:
Why do our body use ATP to provide energy but not others like GTP, CTP or TTP? They are all in side our body.


Replies:
The way things evolved were that the enzymes involved in the electron transport chain can phosphorylate ADP to produce ATP but not GDP to produce GTP. Also, the enzymes involved in catalyzing glycolysis can only add PO4 to ADP and not GDP, CDP or UDP. Remember enzymes are specific because only molecules with the right shape and charge can fit into their active sites.

Ron Baker, Ph.D.


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