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A `Thrift Shop' Parody - Biochemistry Style

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


A little fun for your Friday afternoon: and you may actually learn something about the Krebs cycle as well! This parody of 'Thrift Shop' by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis takes a very difficult topic (TCA or the Krebs Cycle) and breaks it down into a fun set of lyrics that meet the pacing of the song very well. It was created by Wilson Lam, a student of biochemistry at the University of Ottawa.

Enjoy!


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Here are the lyrics:

Lyrics:

[Hook]

I'm gonna pop some carbs

Only got a lil' glucose in my pathway

I - I - I'm lazy, lookin' for some CoA

This is frigging awesome

[Verse 1]

Now I got some glucose; hell yeah, I'm in that prep phase

I'm so pumped; doin' work with hexokinase

Glucose to the glucose with a number six phosphate

PGI to that fructose 6-phosphate (dayum)

ATP, ADP, phosphofructokinase E,

1,6-bis, FBP, adolase, two GAP;

GAPDH with some PGK & PGM,

3-P to the 2-Phosphoglycerate, and then

(Enolaaaaaaaassseeee)

PEP to Pyruvate! (glycolysis)

[Verse 2]

FAD, NAD bout to go and grab some hydroG

Pumpin' out all those substrates for some work yeah that's that energy

shuttlin' through that mito-C like nobody's business

what you know about oxidation? biz-NITCH

I'mma do it TCA, I'mma do it TCA

No for real - movin' on - can I have some A-CoA? (thank-you)

Citrate synthase from that CoA to that citrate

Aconitase, step two; isocitrate

I had some NAD+ (plus), I used some NAD+ (plus)

I made some NADH (Hhhhhhhh), and alpha-ketogluterate (oh snap)

dehydrogenase complex, plus some CoA

CO2, NADH out; succinyl CoA

then I take that GDP, add a P (GTP), hold on wait

CoAs gone, people be like "Aw, he got the succinate"

[Hook x2]

[Verse 3]

What you know about intermediary metabolism? (not much)

What you knowin' about what's goin' on in your skin? (uhhhhh)

I'm diggin, I'm diggin, I'm lookin' for some FAD

Step 6, succinate dehydrogenase, that's the key (zing)

Movin' on, reducin' that FAD up to FADH2

fumarate, fumarase that's the enzyme now go shift your gaze

to malate (okay); step 8, malate dehydrogenase

finish off; NADH, oxaloacetate (ahhhhh)

[Hook x2]

[Bridge x2]

That's how Kreb's cycle goes

If you didn't doze now you know

This is how TCA flows

BCH actually doesn't blow

[Hook]

(alpha-ketogluteraaaaaaaaaate)

Carin Bondar is a biologist, writer and film-maker with a PhD in population ecology from the University of British Columbia. Find Dr. Bondar online at www.carinbondar.com, on twitter @drbondar or on her facebook page: Dr. Carin Bondar – Biologist With a Twist.

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