The Metabolic pathway reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Metabolic pathway

In biochemistry, a metabolic pathway is a series of chemical reactions within a cell, catalyzed by enzymes, which either results in the formation of a product to be used/stored by the cell (metabolic sink), or the initiation of another metabolic pathway (also called flux generating step).

Most metabolic pathways have common properties :

• They are irreversible, usually because the first step is a committed step that only runs in one direction.
• The pathways are regulated, usually by feedback inhibition.
• Anabolic and catabolic pathways in eukaryotes are separated by either compartmentation or by the use of different enzymes and cofactors.

Table of contents

1 Major Metabolic Pathways 1.1 Cellular respiration 1.2 Other

Major Metabolic Pathways

Cellular respiration

Several distinct but linked metabolic pathways are used by cells to transfer the energy released by breakdown of fuel molecules to ATP:

1. Glycolysis
2. Anaerobic respiration
3. Krebs' cycle
4. Oxidative phosphorylation

Other

• Fatty acid oxidation (beta oxidation)
• Gluconeogenesis
• HMG-CoA reductase pathyway (cholesterol, prenylation chains)
• Urea cycle
• Pentose phosphate pathway (hexose monophosphate shunt)

See also : catabolism

External links : Google directory

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