Introduction to Metabolic Control Analysis by a Simple and Low-Cost Laboratory Activity

SAFFIOTI N; ANGELANI C.R; DELFINO J.M; SILVIA FERNANDEZ VILLAMIL; GOMEZ, GABRIELA E.; MANGIALAVORI IC; PIGNATARO MF; SCHWARZBAUM P

Journal of Chemical Education

American Chemical Society

Año: 2023 vol. 100 p. 4749 - 4755

Metabolic Control Analysis (MCA) is a systemsbiology approach that measures the control of a metabolic step onthe overall flux of a metabolic pathway. In undergraduate coursesin biochemistry, learning of MCA can be encouraged byexperimental activities demonstrating practical applications of theMCA theory. In this work, we present a laboratory activitydesigned to measure the glycolytic flux of Saccharomyces cerevisiaeby quantifying the CO2 generation in hermetically sealed syringes.Glycolytic flux was measured at different concentrations ofpovidone-iodine, an inhibitor of glycolysis. Then, the studentsanalyzed the experimental results to calculate the responsecoefficient and sensitivity of the glycolytic flux to the inhibitor povidone-iodine. The activity was satisfactorily carried out by 88undergraduate students in 2022 who submitted a laboratory report for revision. Evaluation of students’ reports indicated that theactivity encouraged the learning of technical procedures required for MCA and facilitated the identification of misconceptionsfrequently held by students. The simplicity of the experimental approach and the availability of harmless and low-cost reagents allowstudents to focus on the application of theoretical concepts within the MCA framework.