Pentose phosphate pathway

The pentose phosphate pathway

The pentose phosphate pathway (also called the phosphogluconate pathway and the hexose monophosphate shunt or HMP shunt) is a metabolic pathway parallel to glycolysis.[1] It generates NADPH and pentoses (five-carbon sugars) as well as ribose 5-phosphate, a precursor for the synthesis of nucleotides.[1] While the pentose phosphate pathway does involve oxidation of glucose, its primary role is anabolic rather than catabolic. The pathway is especially important in red blood cells (erythrocytes). The reactions of the pathway were elucidated in the early 1950s by Bernard Horecker and co-workers.[2][3]

There are two distinct phases in the pathway. The first is the oxidative phase, in which NADPH is generated, and the second is the non-oxidative synthesis of five-carbon sugars. For most organisms, the pentose phosphate pathway takes place in the cytosol; in plants, most steps take place in plastids.[4]

Like glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway appears to have a very ancient evolutionary origin. The reactions of this pathway are mostly enzyme catalyzed in modern cells, however, they also occur non-enzymatically under conditions that replicate those of the Archean ocean, and are catalyzed by metal ions, particularly ferrous ions (Fe(II)).[5] This suggests that the origins of the pathway could date back to the prebiotic world.

  1. ^ a b Alfarouk KO, Ahmed SB, Elliott RL, et al. (2020). "The Pentose Phosphate Pathway Dynamics in Cancer and Its Dependency on Intracellular pH". Metabolites. 10: 285. doi:10.3390/metabo10070285. PMC 7407102. PMID 32664469.
  2. ^ Horecker BL, Smyrniotis PZ, Seegmiller JE (1951). "The enzymatic conversion of 6-phosphogluconate to ribulose-5-phosphate and ribose-5-phosphate". J. Biol. Chem. 193 (1): 383–396. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(19)52464-4. PMID 14907726.
  3. ^ Horecker BL (2002). "The pentose phosphate pathway". J. Biol. Chem. 277 (50): 47965–47971. doi:10.1074/jbc.X200007200. PMID 12403765.
  4. ^ Kruger NJ, von Schaewen A (June 2003). "The oxidative pentose phosphate pathway: structure and organisation". Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 6 (3): 236–246. Bibcode:2003COPB....6..236K. doi:10.1016/S1369-5266(03)00039-6. PMID 12753973.
  5. ^ Keller MA, Turchyn AV, Ralser M (25 April 2014). "Non-enzymatic glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway-like reactions in a plausible Archean ocean". Molecular Systems Biology. 10 (4): 725. doi:10.1002/msb.20145228. PMC 4023395. PMID 24771084.