In: Biology
Why is AMP a good indicator of the ATP level in the cell?
Answer. ATP undergoes hydrolysis to form ADP and Pi. Further, ADP (Adenosine di phosphate) breaks down to form ADP and Pi. During both these steps, huge amount of energy is released which is used by the body for various physiological processes.
The amount of AMP present in a cell is directly proportional to the amount of ATP, because as stated above it is synthesized from the ATP itself plus AMP also helps in deriving energy when the energy demand of the body is high i.e. both provides energy to the cell.
At the time of high energy requirements like excess physical activity, presence of AMP in a cell activates the enzyme, AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK) , to derive more energy to the body. Phosphorylation of AMPK takes place as AMP binds to it. Some studies say that the amount of AMP:ATP in a cell also triggers the activation of the AMPK enzyme.
By the activation of AMPK, a series of reactions takes place which favours the catabolic pathway but hinders the anabolic pathway to regenerate ATP.