Pentose Phosphate Pathway

ALIA ZEHRA - 277 GHADIRA BAGUM - 064 MUNEER AHMAD - 449

Contents

▪ Pentose Phosphate Pathway

▪ Introduction
▪ How does it work ?
▪ Oxidative phase
▪ Non oxidative phase
▪ Importance of pentose phosphate pathway
▪ Major role in animal tissue
 Introduction

▪ Every living organism has a set of blueprints in each of their cells called DNA and
RNA.
▪ These blueprints are essential for life because they are the information on how to
build the protein structures that make up each and everyone of us.

▪ Given the structural and functional importance of

DNA and RNA for all living things, there are many
layers of quality control to help avoid and correct
mistakes when DNA and RNA are initially made.
▪ Occurs in Cytoplasm.
 Introduction

▪ While the products of glycolysis are sent through the rest of cellular respiration to
produce energy there is also an alternative branch off glycolysis to produce the
sugars that make up DNA and RNA.

▪ This pathway, called the Pentose Phosphate Pathway, is special because no

energy in the form of ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is produced or used up in
this pathway.
▪ Also known as Hexose Monophosphate Shunt.
 How does it happen?

▪ Similarly to some of the processes in cellular respiration, the molecules that go

through the pentose phosphate pathway are mostly made of carbon.

• The easiest way to understand this pathway

is to follow the carbon.

• The breakdown of the simple sugar,

glucose, in glycolysis provides the first 6-
carbon molecule required for the pentose
phosphate pathway.
How does it happen?

▪ During the first step of glycolysis, glucose is transformed by the

addition of a phosphate group, generating glucose-6-phosphate,
another 6-carbon molecule.
Glycolysis
Glucose
▪ The pentose phosphate pathway
can use any available molecules Pentose
of glucose-6-phosphate, Glucose-6-phosphate Phosphate
Pathway
whether they are produced by
glycolysis or other methods.
Citric Acid Cycle

Electron Transport Chain

The Oxidative Phase:

▪ The “oxidative” word of this phase comes from the process of

oxidation.

▪ Oxidation is the breakdown of a molecule as it loses at least one of its

electrons.

▪ This phase is made up of 2 irreversible steps:

 The Oxidative Phase:

Step 1
• Glucose-6-phosphate is oxidized to form lactone. NADPH is produced as a
byproduct of this reaction as NADP+

▪ Following the oxidation of glucose-

6-phosphate, another reaction,
catalyzed by a different enzyme,
uses water to form 6-
phosphogluconate.
 The Oxidative Phase:

Step 2
▪ Next, carbon is removed (cleaved) and CO2 is released.

 Once again, the electrons released

from this cleavage is used to reduce
NADP+ to NADPH.
 This new 5-carbon molecule is called
ribulose-5-phosphate
The Non Oxidative Phase
Alia Zehra - 277
 The Non-Oxidative Phase:

• The non-oxidative phase is really handy because these reactions are reversible.

• This allows different molecules to enter the pentose phosphate pathway in

different areas of the non-oxidative phase and be transformed up until the first
molecule of the non-oxidative phase (ribulose-5-phosphate).

• Ribulose-5-phosphate is the precursor to the sugar that makes up DNA and RNA,
and is also a product of the oxidative stage.
 The Non-Oxidative Phase:

Step 4
• Ribulose-5-phosphate can be converted into two different 5-carbon molecules.

• One is the sugar used to make up DNA and RNA called, ribose-5-phosphate and this
is the molecule we will focus on.

• Ribulose-5-phosphate isn’t being divided because the carbon count is the same in
the next step.
 The Non-Oxidative Phase:

• The rest of the cycle is now made up of different options that depend on the cell’s needs.

• The ribose-5-phosphate from step 3 is combined with another molecule of ribose-5-

phosphate to make one, 10-carbon molecule.

• Excess ribose-5-phosphate, which may not be needed for nucleotide biosynthesis, is

converted into other sugars that can be used by the cell for metabolism.
 The Non-Oxidative Phase:

• The 10-carbon molecule is interconverted to create a 3-carbon molecule and a 7-

carbon molecule.

• The 3-carbon product can be shipped over to glycolysis if it needs.

• That being said, recall that we can also work our way back up to another molecule
in this phase. So that 3-carbon molecule could also be shipped over from glycolysis
and transformed into ribose-5-phosphate for DNA and RNA production.
 The Non-Oxidative Phase:

Step 5
• The 3-carbon molecule and the 7-carbon molecule, from the interconversion above
in step 4, interconvert again to make a new 4-carbon molecule and 6-carbon
molecule. The 4-carbon molecule is a precursor for amino acids, while the 6-carbon
molecule can be used in glycolysis. The same reversal of steps in option 4 can
happen here as well.
Add a Slide Title - 3
 The Non-Oxidative Phase:

• The pentose phosphate pathway takes place in the cytosol of the cell, the same
location as glycolysis.

• The two most important products from this process are the ribose-5-phosphate
sugar used to make DNA and RNA, and the NADPH molecules which help with
building other molecules.
Role of Pentose phosphate in Animal
Tissue
Ghadira Bagum - 064
 Role of Pentose phosphate in Animal Tissue

• Also known as the hexose monophosphate shunt, is an important metabolic

pathway that operates alongside glycolysis in animal tissues.

• The primary role of the pentose phosphate pathway is to generate NADPH

(nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) and pentoses (5-carbon sugars),
which are essential for various cellular processes..
 Role of Pentose phosphate in Animal Tissue

Here are the key roles of the pentose phosphate pathway in animal tissues:

NADPH production:
• PPP is the major source of NADPH in animal cells.

• NADPH is a reducing agent that plays a crucial role in many biosynthetic pathways
and cellular processes.
• It is required for the synthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol, and steroids, as well as for the
regeneration of reduced glutathione, an important antioxidant molecule that protects
cells from oxidative damage.
 Role of Pentose phosphate in Animal Tissue

Redox balance:
• The pentose phosphate pathway helps maintain the redox balance within
cells.

• It operates in parallel with glycolysis, allowing the oxidation of glucose-6-

phosphate to generate NADPH while producing ribose-5-phosphate, a
precursor for nucleotide synthesis.
 Role of Pentose phosphate in Animal Tissue

Ribose-5-phosphate production:

• The PPP generates ribose-5-phosphate, a precursor for the synthesis of

nucleotides (building blocks of DNA and RNA).

• Ribose-5-phosphate can be converted into other sugars, such as glucose-6-

phosphate, for energy production or used directly for nucleotide synthesis.
 Role of Pentose phosphate in Animal Tissue

Detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS):

• The pentose phosphate pathway helps protect cells from oxidative stress by
generating NADPH, which is used to regenerate reduced glutathione.

• Glutathione is an important antioxidant that helps neutralize reactive

oxygen species (ROS) and other harmful reactive molecules.
 Role of Pentose phosphate in Animal Tissue

Production of other sugars:

• The PPP can also generate other sugars, such as erythrose-4-

phosphate and sedoheptulose-7-phosphate, which are used in
specific metabolic pathways.
 Role of Pentose phosphate in Animal Tissue

Overall, the pentose phosphate pathway plays a crucial role in maintaining

cellular redox balance, providing NADPH for biosynthetic reactions and
antioxidant defense, and generating important sugars for nucleotide and other
metabolic processes in animal tissues.