Q. When potassium cynide is added...
a). In plants, the ETS gets blocked but plant do not die.
b). But if in animal, it get dies.
What is reason for this..?
Q. When potassium cynide is added...
a). In plants, the ETS gets blocked but plant do not die.
b). But if in animal, it get dies.
What is reason for this..?
IN ANIMALS
In a nutshell, cyanide prevents cells from using oxygen to make energy molecules.
The cyanide ion, CN-, binds to the iron atom in cytochrome C oxidase in the mitochondria of cells. It acts as an irreversible enzyme inhibitor, preventing cytochrome C oxidase from doing its job, which is to transport electrons to oxygen in the electron transport chain of aerobic cellular respiration. Without the ability to use oxygen, mitochondria can't produce the energy carrier adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Tissues that require this form of energy, such as heart muscle cells and nerve cells, quickly expend all their energy and start to die. When a large enough number of critical cells die, you die.
IN PLANTS
Plants contain an alternative pathway for respiration in their mitochondria. The alternate oxidase is not as efficient as the normal pathway, but immune to cyanide. As a result, plants are insensitive to concentrations of cyanide that are lethal to animals, and a few species are known to contain cyanides. Interestingly, the Greater Bamboo Lemur is able to consume lethal doses of the Giant Bamboo shoots with no effect. The reason for its immunity is not yet understood.
IN ANIMALS
In a nutshell, cyanide prevents cells from using oxygen to make energy molecules.
The cyanide ion, CN-, binds to the iron atom in cytochrome C oxidase in the mitochondria of cells. It acts as an irreversible enzyme inhibitor, preventing cytochrome C oxidase from doing its job, which is to transport electrons to oxygen in the electron transport chain of aerobic cellular respiration. Without the ability to use oxygen, mitochondria can't produce the energy carrier adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Tissues that require this form of energy, such as heart muscle cells and nerve cells, quickly expend all their energy and start to die. When a large enough number of critical cells die, you die.
IN PLANTS
Plants contain an alternative pathway for respiration in their mitochondria. The alternate oxidase is not as efficient as the normal pathway, but immune to cyanide. As a result, plants are insensitive to concentrations of cyanide that are lethal to animals, and a few species are known to contain cyanides. Interestingly, the Greater Bamboo Lemur is able to consume lethal doses of the Giant Bamboo shoots with no effect. The reason for its immunity is not yet understood.
