biology case study cellular respiration

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The Mystery of the Seven Deaths

A Case Study in Cellular Respiration

By Michaela Gazdik Stofer

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In this interrupted case study, students learn about the function of cellular respiration and the electron transport chain and what happens when that function is impaired. The case is loosely based on the real-life 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders where seven people died when Tylenol capsules were laced with cyanide. Students play the role of medical examiner as they analyze the autopsy results to determine the cause of the mysterious deaths of these seven victims. The case was originally used in a general biology course taken by both science majors and non-majors.

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• Explain the overall purpose of cellular respiration.
• Describe the intermediate metabolites of cellular respiration.
• Explain the function and importance of the electron transport chain.
• Describe the role of oxygen in cellular respiration.

Cellular respiration; hypoxia; blood oxygen; metabolic pathway; metabolite; pyruvate, acetyl coenzyme A; NADH; cytochrome c oxidase; electron transport chain; adenosine triphosphate; ATP; product tampering; cyanide poisoning; Tylenol

Subject Headings

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

Undergraduate lower division

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TYPE/METHODS

Teaching Notes & Answer Key

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Chicago Cyanide Murders: A Case Study in Cellular Respiration

Part 1:  Background

In September of 1982 ,Mary Kellerman gave her 12 year old daughter a painkiller when she awoke during the night complaining of a sore throat.   At 7 am the next morning, her daughter was found collapsed on the bathroom floor, and later pronounced dead.

Adam Janus, a postal worker in another Chicago suburb also died unexpectedly, though originally it was thought he had suffered from a heart attack.  While his family gathered to mourn their loss, his brother and sister became ill and later died.

In the days that followed, three more unexplained deaths occurred in nearby Chicago suburbs.  Investigators found that all of the victims had taken an extra strength tylenol hours before their death.  They suspected that someone had tampered with the medication.

Symptoms exhibited by each of the victims included:

• weakness, dizziness, sleepiness
• flushed, bright red, skin tone
• shortness of breath and rapid breathing
• confusion and disorientation

1. In your opinion, are the seven deaths connected. What additional information would you need to determine if they are connected?

2. If poison is suspected in the deaths, how would you proceed with the investigation?

Part 2: Autopsy report

The medical examiner concluded that each of the victims had died of hypoxia. Hypoxia means that the person suffered from a lack of oxygen, or they were suffocated. The reason for the hypoxia is not always clear at the first examination.

The medical examiner also showed the tissue samples from the heart, lungs, and liver showed massive cell death. On further investigation, it was shown that the tissues had major mitochondrial damage.

Even though the victims died of hypoxia, their level of oxygen in their blood was approximately 110 mm Hg. The normal range is 75-100 mm Hg.

3. Recall your knowledge of the function of organelles. What function of the cells was interrupted in these patients?

4. While poison is the main suspect in the case, what are other ways a person could die of hypoxia?

5. Analyze the oxygen levels of the victims. Were the levels higher or lower than normal?

How can you reconcile this observation with the cause of death being hypoxia?

Toxicology reports show that the victims had been poisoned with cyanide.  The poison was traced back to extra strength tylenol where the murderer had opened the capsules and replaced acetaminophen (a pain killer) with cyanide.  Cyanide acts very quickly, often killing within minutes of ingestion and authorities were slow to identify the cause of the deaths. Once the cause as identified, stores removed tylenol and other drugs from shelves.  While there were many suspects, no one was ever charged with the crime and it is still an ongoing investigation. Since the Chicago Tylenol murders, drug companies have drastically changed how medicines are packaged.

Why is cyanide such an effective poison? You might be surprised to learn that it directly interferes with cellular respiration that occurs in the mitochondria.

6. Recall that the mitochondrion is sometimes called the "powerhouse" of the cell. What does this mean? Why is the mitochondrion important?

Part 3: Why Do We Need Oxygen?

It seems like a simple question, everyone knows you need to breathe to live. Have you ever thought about why oxygen is so important? The victims of the cyanide poisoning all had high levels of oxygen in their blood, but the poison was interfering with how the cells use that oxygen. To understand, we need to take a very close look at the structure of the mitochondrion.

Inside the mitochondrion, there are several layers of membranes.  In fact, these membranes resemble the membrane that surrounds the cell.  It has a bilayer of phospholipids and embedded proteins .  On the diagram above, the proteins are labeled I, II, III, IV, and Cytochrome C.

The proteins in the membrane pass electrons from one to the other, this is known as the electron transport chain .  The passing of these electrons allows ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to be generated.    At the end of the electron transport chain, Cytochrome C passes the electron to its final acceptor, oxygen.   Oxygen then binds with proteins to create water.   This process is continuous in cells, with ATP constantly being generated and oxygen being used as the final electron acceptor.   

Cyanide  inhibits cytochrome C, preventing the last protein from doing its job.  The electron stops at the end of the chain and cannot be passed to oxygen.  The whole chain grinds to a halt and no ATP can be made.   

7.  On the model of mitochondrion, highlight the area (arrows) that is the ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN in yellow.

Place an X over the protein that is inhibited by cyanide. Color the phospholipid bilayer blue. A special protein called ATP synthase generates ATP. Find it on the diagram and color it red.

8. What is the relationship between the ETC and oxygen?

9.  Cyanide is an extremely fast acting poison.  In fact,  it was developed as a suicide pill (called L-pill) during World War II so that British and American spies could avoid being captured alive.    Given what you know about ATP and cellular respiration, explain why cyanide is so fast acting.

10. Given what you know about cyanide poisoning, do you think that giving a person oxygen would be an effective treatment? Why or why not?

Other Resources on Cellular Respiration

Cellular Respiration Graphic Organizer Photosynthesis and Respiration Unit Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration (slides and notes) Cellular Respiratin Virtual Lab Cellular Respiration Overview

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Case Study: Mitochondrial Mysteries Cellular Respiration

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Preview text

Case study: mitochondrial mysteries: cellular respiration.

Part I: Exam Preparation

The following week, Ivy agreed to meet Ali on Sunday in the library to study for their upcoming exam on photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

“Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are inverse processes,” Ali pondered while looking at the equations on the whiteboard in their study room. “In photosynthesis, light energy and carbon dioxide produce glucose and oxygen. Then in cellular respiration, glucose is broken down to make carbon dioxide and energy in the form of ATP, and the process requires oxygen.”

“That’s a good start, but cellular respiration isn’t as simple as you put it. I think Dr. Smith is going to ask us much more about cellular respiration than this equation describes.” Ivy paused, starting to wonder why she agreed to this. “There are a lot of processes that work together to make enough ATP for our bodies to function. Didn’t you read the section in the book about this? I know you were in class and I saw you taking notes. What do you remember from that day?”

She notices when I’m in class.. thought made Ali grin. He’d better step it up so she’d keep meeting with him. “Hold on, let me take out my notebook and see what I’ve got for this lecture.”

• Using Ali’s class notes (see next page), complete Table 1.

Table 1. Number of each molecule type produced per 1 glucose molecule.

NADH FADH 2 ATP

• Draw a flow chart for the order of processes involved in getting energy from glucose. Indicate the inputs and outputs of each process.

a. Put a circle around the processes that reduce electron carriers b. Put a square around the process that oxidizes the electron carriers. c. Place a star next to the processes that produces the most energy for the cell.

Part III: Putting It All Together

After 15 minutes of reading through the textbook, Ali and Ivy came back together to debrief.

“Here’s what I read about the payoff phase,” Ali began. “It appears to me that while some ATP is made during gly- colysis and the citric acid cycle, the majority of the ATP energy is produced during oxidative phosphorylation. So, oxidative phosphorylation is the payoff phase because that’s when most of the energy is actually being produced. The previous steps are really just setting up the cell and making the right molecules for this to happen. All of the electron carriers that are reduced during the first three processes are oxidized in the electron transport chain, which creates a proton gradient. This proton gradient then provides the large amount of energy needed to drive the production of ATP by ATP synthase. I guess it takes some effort to make energy. But what the heck is this proton gradient and where does it happen? What did you find out about the mitochondria?”

“Dividing to conquer these questions is making our study session quite efficient. We may be done in time for dinner,” said Ivy with a smile. “Let me start from the beginning. I’m thinking about this as if our mitochondria are factories, producing ATP according to a defined plan. First, glucose enters the cell and glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm.

Then pyruvate, the product of glycolysis, is transported into the mitochondria through those porin proteins in their membranes. Pyruvate processing and the citric acid cycle occur in the mitochondrial matrix. Here’s the tricky part: the electron transport chain involves a set of protein complexes that are located in the cristae of the mitochondrial inner membrane. Those protein complexes accept the electrons donated by NADH and FADH2. This movement of

electrons pumps protons (hydrogen ions, H+) into the intermembrane space to create the proton gradient.”

Ali jumped in, “So these protons are being actively put into the intermembrane space by the electron transport chain, meaning there are more protons in the intermembrane space than in the mitochondrial matrix. This seems like push- ing water uphill – it’s bound to want to come down.”

“That’s exactly how I thought of it! Now, oxidative phosphorylation is like the doors on a dam being opened so the turbines can create electricity from the flow of water back down the hill. There is another protein complex embedded in the inner membrane known as ATP synthase. This protein functions as the turbine. It has an area where protons can flow from the intermembrane space back into

the mitochondrial matrix, and that flow of protons creates enough energy to catalyze ATP synthesis.”

Using the drawing of a mitochondrion below, indicate where each of the four processes of cellular respiration occurs. Remember that the mitochondrion is surrounded by the cytoplasm of the cell! Your labels should include the parts of the cell and organelle, the names of the processes, and the molecules that are being shuttled.

What is a “proton gradient”? Explain why this is important for the production of ATP.

In your opinion, what are the three most important molecules needed for the production of ATP? Explain your reasoning.

Additional thought question: use the information in this part and previous information learned in the class to explain why aerobic organisms typically have a faster growth rate than anaerobic organisms.

Her voice had gone quiet, and Ali could tell she was feeling self-conscious. “Clearly it doesn’t stop you from being a brilliant student,” he said, grinning. “And hey, maybe we can both go into medicine and develop a cure someday, now that we’re on our way to being experts on the mitochondria!"

Ivy laughed, feeling relieved. She had been worried he would just get up and leave. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves! I just wanted to get that off my chest. Why don’t we eat our sushi and focus on the bio exam tomorrow? The rest can wait for another day.”

Take five minutes and write down everything you now know about the mitochondria.

Compare the answer you gave for the first question in this case study (i., list any information you know about the mitochondria) and your response to Question 9 above. Describe three of the most interesting or exciting things you learned from this story.

• Multiple Choice

Course : Cell Biology (BIOL 230)

University : new jersey city university.

• Discover more from: Cell Biology BIOL 230 New Jersey City University 127   Documents Go to course
• More from: Cell Biology BIOL 230 New Jersey City University 127   Documents Go to course