Question

Working in a lab you design a gene-knock out for NADH dehydrogenase complex, and therefore the mRNA for this protein is not sythesized . How does your new NADH dehydrogenase-less gene influence the production of ATP from FADH2?

a)ATP production from FADH2 will increase
b)ATP production from FADH2 will initially increase, than drastically decrease
c)ATP production from FADH2 will decrease then drastically increase
d)ATP production from FADH2 will not be affected from this gene knock out.

Answer 1

The knock-out of the NADH dehydrogenase gene does not affect ATP production from FADH2, as FADH2 donates electrons further down the electron transport chain at Complex II.

Step-by-step explanation:

The knock-out of the NADH dehydrogenase gene, a component of the electron transport chain, would directly impact the production of ATP from NADH. This is because NADH dehydrogenase (part of Complex I) is responsible for transferring electrons from NADH to the electron transport chain.

Since FADH2 electrons enter the electron transport chain at Complex II, which operates independently of Complex I, the production of ATP from FADH2 would not be affected by the knock-out of NADH dehydrogenase. Therefore, ATP production from FADH2 will not be affected by this gene knock-out (answer d).