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Pentose Phosphate Pathway

The pentose phosphate pathway, also known as the phosphogluconate pathway or hexose monophosphate shunt, is an alternative metabolic pathway to glycolysis that occurs in the cytoplasm. It involves the oxidation of glucose-6-phosphate into 6-phosphogluconate via glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, generating NADPH in the process. The pathway produces pentose sugars like ribose-5-phosphate and reduces NADP+ to NADPH, which is important for biosynthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol, and reducing power in cells. It also generates precursors for nucleic acid synthesis and provides an entry point for other sugars into central carbon metabolism.

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157 views

Pentose Phosphate Pathway

The pentose phosphate pathway, also known as the phosphogluconate pathway or hexose monophosphate shunt, is an alternative metabolic pathway to glycolysis that occurs in the cytoplasm. It involves the oxidation of glucose-6-phosphate into 6-phosphogluconate via glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, generating NADPH in the process. The pathway produces pentose sugars like ribose-5-phosphate and reduces NADP+ to NADPH, which is important for biosynthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol, and reducing power in cells. It also generates precursors for nucleic acid synthesis and provides an entry point for other sugars into central carbon metabolism.

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jitendermcse9816
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Pentose Phosphate Pathway

Also known as:


 Pentose shunt
 Hexose monophosphate shunt
 Phosphogluconate pathway

 It occurs in the cytosol.


One fate of G6P is the
pentose pathway.
The pentose pathway is a shunt.
 The pathway begins with the glycolytic intermediate
glucose 6-P.
 It reconnects with glycolysis because two of the end
products of the pentose pathway are glyceraldehyde
3-P and fructose 6-P; two intermediates further down
in the glycolytic pathway.
 It is for this reason that the pentose pathway is often
referred to as a shunt.
Overview
 The pentose phosphate
pathway is also called
Hexose Monophosphate
Shunt or Phosphogluconate
Pathway.

 It is an alternate route for the


oxidation of glucose without
direct consumption or
generation of ATP.

 It takes place entirely in the


cytoplasm.
Importance of pentose phosphate pathway :
 Generation of NADPH
- mainly used for reductive
synthesis of fatty acids,
cholesterol and steroid
hormones.
- hydroxylation reaction in
metabolism of phenylalanine and
tryptophan.
- production of reduced
glutathione in erythrocytes and
other cells.

 Production of ribose residues


- used for nucleotide, nucleic acid ,
and coenzyme biosynthesis

 Serves as an entry into Glycolysis


for both 5‐carbon & 6‐carbon sugars.
The PPP is divided into two phases
 Oxidative non-reversible phase
-generates NADPH
-Glucose 6-p undergoes dehydrogenation and
decarboxylation to give a pentose, ribulose
5-p, which is converted to its isomer, D-
ribose 5-p.
-Overall equation of 1st phase:
Glucose 6-p + 2 NADP++ H2O  ribose 5-p 
CO2 + 2 NADPH + 2 H+

 Non-oxidative reversible phase


-ribose 5‐P is converted back to Glucose 6-p
by a series of reactions involving especially
two enzymes
1. Transketolase :Transfer of the 2‐C
fragment
Pentose Phosphate Pathway (Warburg-Dicken’s
Pathway):

It involves the oxidation of Glucose-6-Phosphate to 6-


Phosphogluconic acid which in turn is converted into
pentose phosphates. In this pathway glucose-6-phosphate
is directly oxidised without entering glycolysis, hence it is
also known as Direct Oxidation Pathway or Hexose
Monophosphate Shunt.

Reactions of Pentose Phosphate Pathway:


Starting from 6-molecules of glucose-6-phosphate, the
various reactions of this pathway can be summarised as
follows:
(1) 6 molecules of glucose-6-phosphate in the presence of
coenzyme NADP are converted (oxidised) into 6 molecules of
6-phosphogluconolactone by the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate
dehydrogenase. 6 molecules of NADP are reduced in the
reaction which is reversible.
(2)6-Phosphogluconolactone is hydrolysed by the
enzyme Lactonase to produced 6 molecule of 6-
phosphogluconic acid.
(3) 6-Phosphogluconic acid is oxidatively decarboxylated by
the
enzyme 6-Phosphogluconic acid dehydrogenase. 6 molecules
of NADP are reduced, 6 molecules of CO2 are released and 6
mols, of Ribulose-5-Phosphate are produced.
Oxidative phase:
(4) 6 mols. of Ribulose-5-P isomerise into 4 mols. of
XyIuIose-5-Phosphate and 2 mols. of Ribose-5-Phosphate
in the presence of Ribulose phosphate-3-epimerase and
Pentose phosphate isomerase respectively.
(5) 2 mols. of xylulose-5-Phosphate and 2 mols. of Ribose-5-
phosphate combine in the presence of Transketolase to form
2 mols. of Sedoheptulose-7-Phosphate and 2 mols. of 3-
Phosphoglyceraldehyde.
(6) 2 mols. of Sedoheptulose-7-Phosphate and 2 mols. of 3-
Phosphoglyceraldehyde combine in the presence of
Transaldolase to form 2 mols. of Fructose-6-Phosphate and
2 mols. of Erythrose-4-Phosphate (4-carbon atoms sugar).
(7) 2 mols. of Erythose-4-Phosphate react with remaining two
mols. of xylulose-5-Phosphate (see reaction No. 4 and 5) in
the presence of Transketolase to form 2 mols. of Fructose- 6-
Phosphate and 2 mols of 3-Phosphoglyceraldehyde.
(8) One mol. of 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde isomerises into
dihydroxyacetone phosphate. The enzyme is
Phosphotriose isomerase.
(9) Remaining one mole, of 3-Phosphoglyceraldehyde unites with
Dihydroxyacetone phosphate in presence of Aldolase to form one mol. of Fructose
1, 6-bisphosphate. The latter, in the presence of Phosphatase forms one mol. of
Fructose 6-Phosphate.
(10) 5 molecules of Fructose-6-phosphate produced in
reactions 6, 7 and 9, isomerise into 5 mols. of Glucose-6-P in
presence of Phosphohexose isomerase.
Non oxidative phase:
Significance of Pentose-Phosphate-Pathway:
(i) It provides alternative route for carbohydrate breakdown.
(ii) It generates NADPH molecules which are used as reductants
in biosynthetic processes under conditions when NADPH
molecules are not generated by photosynthesis. It is therefore,
especially important in non-photosynthetic tissues such as in
differentiating tissues, germinating seeds and during periods of
darkness. Production of NADPH is not linked to ATP generation in
pentose phosphate pathway.
(iii) It provides Ribose sugars for the synthesis of nucleic acid
(iv) It plays important role in fixation of CO2 in photosynthesis
through Ribulose-5-Phosphate. (Ribulose 1, 5-bisphosphate
derived from Ribulose-5-Phosphate is the primary acceptor of
CO2 in photosynthesis).
(v) It provides Erythrose-4-phosphate which is required for the
synthesis of shikimic acid. The latter is precursor of aromatic ring
compounds.

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