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Metabolic intermediates are compounds produced during the conversion of substrates (starting molecules) into final products in biochemical reactions within cells.[1]
Although these intermediates are of relatively minor direct importance to cellular function, they can play important roles in the allosteric regulation of enzymes, glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and amino acid synthesis.
Metabolic pathways consist of a series of enzymatically catalyzed reactions where each step transforms a substrate into a product that serves as the substrate for the next reaction. Metabolic intermediates are compounds that form during these steps, and they are neither the starting substrate nor the final product of the pathway. These intermediates are crucial because they allow for regulation, energy storage, and extraction of chemical energy in a controlled manner.[2]
- ^ Muchowska, Kamila B.; Varma, Sreejith J.; Moran, Joseph (May 2019). "Synthesis and breakdown of universal metabolic precursors promoted by iron". Nature. 569 (7754): 104–107. Bibcode:2019Natur.569..104M. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1151-1. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 6517266. PMID 31043728.
- ^ Voet, Donald; Voet, Judith G. (2011). Biochemistry (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-57095-1.