In biochemistry, a metabolic pathway is a series of chemical reactions occurring within a cell, catalyzed by enzymes, and resulting in either the formation of a metabolic product to be used or stored by the cell (metabolic sink ), or the initiation of another metabolic pathway (then called a flux generating step).
Overview
Most metabolic pathways have these 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.
Major metabolic pathways
Cellular respiration
Main article: Cellular respiration
Several distinct but linked metabolic pathways are used by cells to transfer the energy released by breakdown of fuel molecules to ATP:
- Glycolysis
- Anaerobic respiration
- Krebs cycle / Citric acid cycle
- Oxidative phosphorylation
Other pathways
See also
External links
