Help, please

I am writing an essay on ATP and it's role in living organisms.
So far I have:
-It's production in respiration
-Production in light-dependent, and usage in light-independent reactions of photosynthesis
-Its use in active transport
-Contraction of skeletal muscles
-And selective reabsorbtion

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated

Reply 1

gas_panic!

12

tomtheone

I am writing an essay on ATP and it's role in living organisms.
So far I have:
-It's production in respiration
-Production in light-dependent, and usage in light-independent reactions of photosynthesis
-Its use in active transport
-Contraction of skeletal muscles
-And selective reabsorbtion

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated

Well phosphorylation of proteins is one of the most common processes in the cell. It is what gives certain proteins a certain activity. I could give you a big list of proteins that undergo phosphorylation but it would be pretty large. One classic example off the top of my head is the phosphorylation of growth factor receptors. To mediate a signal from the bound growth factor several phosphorylation events must occur. You could right a whole essay on this alone but the main point is:

Some receptors have intrinsic kinase activity. They must bind ATP, which then phosphorylates another part of the receptor. The receptor can then phosphorylate the target protein which may be a transcription factor which now activated goes off into the nucleus to activate some gene expression.

A very basic overview, but just google "tyrosine related growth factor receptor" or "cytokine receptors". ATP plays a very important role.