Which of the Following Accurately Describes the Adenylate Energy Charge

Question

Which of the following accurately describes the adenylate energy charge?
A)numerator: 2 [ATP] + [ADP];denominator: [ATP] + [ADP] + [AMP]
B)numerator: [ATP] + [ADP];denominator: [ATP] + 0.5 [ADP] + 0.25 [AMP]
C)numerator: [ATP] + 0.5 [ADP];denominator: 2 [ATP] + [ADP] + 0.5 [AMP]
D)numerator: [ATP] + 0.5 [ADP];denominator: [ATP] + [ADP] + [AMP]
E)none of the above

Accepted Answer

The adenylate energy charge (AEC) is a measure of the energy status of a cell and is calculated as the ratio of the concentrations of high-energy phosphates (ATP and ADP) to the total adenylate pool (ATP + ADP + AMP). Choice D correctly represents the numerator and denominator of the AEC formula.