UREA
GLUCONEOGENESIS
KETONE BODIES IS THE GAME TO PLAY
MICHAELIS-MENTEN CALYPSO

UREA
(Tune: "Maria" from "West Side Story")

[My lab used to dissolve bovine neurofilaments in 6 M urea and purify the three NF proteins by chromatography in 6 M urea.  Countless liters of 8 M urea stock solution had to be treated with an ion exchange resin and charcoal to remove cyanate, which can carbamylate amino groups on proteins.]

 UREA!
I just go on filtering UREA.
I really do not know
Just how I'll get this pro-
tein pure.
 
UREA!
The benchtops are caked with UREA.
And with each gel I see
The yield has come to be
so poor.
UREA!

CM and Sephadex won't do it.
DEAE won't work -- I knew it!
UREA,
I'll never stop filtering UREA!

GLUCONEOGENESIS

(Tune: "Yesterday")

Yesterday,
All my glucose seemed so far away
Now it looks as though it's here to stay
Since hormone action saved the day

Liver cells
Have receptors that bound glucagon
Freed G-alpha-s to move along
Adenylate cyclase turned on

(bridge)
Cyclic AMP activated PKA
Pyruvate kinase got phosphorylated
Inactivated

Think of this
F-2,6-BP will soon be missed
Replacing fluxes through glycolysis
With gluconeogenesis

(bridge)
From lactate and glycerol came carbohydrates,
From amino acids with
PEP carboxykinase

Now it seems
Glucose in the blood beyond my dreams,
Glucose from glycogenolysis
And gluconeogenesis.

Gluconeogenesis!

KETONE BODIES IS THE GAME TO PLAY

(Tune: "A Policeman's Lot is Not a Happy One" from "The Pirates of Penzance" by Gilbert and Sullivan)

When your exercising's gotten rather furious           (rather furious)

And glucose is depleted from your blood                 (from your blood)

Then with sugar stores you'd best not be penurious  (be penurious)

Or soon you'll be collapsing with a thud.                 (with a thud)

But when your liver glycogen's dissolving                ('gen's dissolving)

And the energy demand seems there to stay,          (there to stay)

Then I think it's time you'd better be resolving         (be resolving)

That Ketone Bodies is the game to play.     OH!

         When oxaloacetate has gone away, gone away,

         Then Ketone Bodies is the game to play, game to play.'

When gluconeogenesis is speeded,                         ('sis is speeded)

PEP carboxykinase activated,                                  (activated)

Then oxaloacetate becomes depleted,                    ('comes depleted)

Citrate synthetase velocity deflated.                         ('ty deflated)

If you go through pyruvate to acetyl CoA,                (acetyl CoA)

Pyruvate carboxylase can save the day.                  (save the day)

But when burning fatty acids there is no way           (there is no way)

And Ketone Bodies is the game to play.   OH!

         When oxaloacetate has gone away, gone away,

         Then Ketone Bodies is the game to play, game to play.

If you bring two acetyl CoA's together,                     ('A's together)

Acetoacetyl CoA is what you get.                             (what you get)

A third acetyl CoA we now can tether,                     (now can tether)

And you'll get HMG CoA, I bet.                                 ('A, I bet)

Then HMG CoA is split asunder                                (split asunder)

To acetoacetate and acetyl CoA.                              ('tyl CoA)

Now, think a minute, is it any wonder                      (any wonder)

That Ketone Bodies is the game to play?   OH!

         When oxaloacetate has gone away, gone away,

         Then Ketone Bodies is the game to play, game to play.

Acetoacetate you may be reducing                          (be reducing)

With NADH from beta-oxidation,                                    (oxidation)

And hydroxybutyrate you'll be producing,                (be producing)

Destined for the blood by membrane translocation.  (translocation)

Now sometimes a CO2 you will be losing                 (will be losing)

And acetone is made, but don't dismay,                   (don't dismay)

For the other ketone bodies you'll be using,            (you'll be using)

And Ketone Bodies is the game to play.   OH!

         When oxaloacetate has gone away, gone away,

         Then Ketone Bodies is the game to play, game to play.

Now the bloodstream flows just like a mighty torrent.  (mighty torrent)

Ketone bodies go to muscle and to brain.                (and to brain)

And wasted ketone bodies certainly aren't.              (certainly aren't)

For liver's loss is other tissues gain.                         (tissues gain)

For the brain, while thinking glucose so nutritious,  (so nutritious)

Won't take fatty acids up, it's sad to say,                  (sad to say)

But it finds ketone bodies quite delicious,                (quite delicious)

So Ketone Bodies is the game to play.   OH!

         When oxaloacetate has gone away, gone away,

         Then Ketone Bodies is the game to play, game to play.

Hydroxybutyrate combines with NAD, now,              (NAD, now)

Forms acetoacetate; it does not fester.                     (does not fester)

Then a succinyl CoA, I hope you'll see, now,           (hope you'll see, now)

Gives energy for AcAc CoA ester.                             (CoA ester)

Thiolase two acetyl CoA's now produces,                (now produces)

And ATP will soon be on its way.                             (on its way)

Well, I hope it's clear by now just what their use is. (what their use is)

Yes, Ketone Bodies is the game to play.   OH!

         When oxaloacetate has gone away, gone away,

         Then Ketone Bodies is the game to play, game to play.

MICHAELIS-MENTEN CALYPSO

(Tune: This one doesn't have a tune -- you can make up your own or just recite it.)

Calypso was a very popular type of Caribbean-style music in the late '50's.  The lyrics were often a sort of pidgin English.  No, it's not the same as reggae -- ask your grandmother.

Well I go to school the whole long day

Then I go and earn my pay

Come home and read biochemistry

My life is so hard don't you see.

And the people say,

"Low Km she is very very good

High Km she is very very bad

Low Km bind the substrate tight

High Km  bind the substrate weak!"

Well if I die please bury me

With my book of biochemistry

Then I see that steady state

Right up to the pearly gate.

And the people say

"Low Km she is very very good

High Km she is very very bad

Low Km bind the substrate tight

High Km  bind the substrate weak!"