Metabolic intermediates are molecules that are the precursors or metabolites of biologically significant molecules.[1]
Although these intermediates are of relatively minor direct importance to cellular function, they can play important roles in the allosteric regulation of enzymes.
Clinical significance[edit]
Some can be useful in measuring rates of metabolic processes (for example, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid or 3-aminoisobutyrate).
Because they can represent unnatural points of entry into natural metabolic pathways, some (such as AICA ribonucleotide) are of interest to researchers in developing new therapies.
See also[edit]
| Oxidative | |
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| Nonoxidative | |
| Synthesis | |||||
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| Degradation | |||||
| Peroxisomal |
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| Ceramide | |||||||||||
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| Ganglioside pathway |
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| Other | |||||||||||
| Mevalonate pathway |
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| Non-mevalonate pathway | |||||||||||
| To Cholesterol | |||||||||||
| From Cholesterol to Steroid hormones |
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| Nonhuman |
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| purine metabolism |
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| pyrimidine metabolism |
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| catecholamines |
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| tryptophan→serotonin |
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| serotonin→melatonin | |||||||||||
| Porphyrin biosynthesis |
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| Heme degradation and excretion |
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| Tyrosine / iodotyrosine | |
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| Thyronine / iodothyronine | |
| Thyronamine / iodothyronamine | |
| Iodothyroacetate / iodothyroacetic acid | |
References[edit]
- ^ 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. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1151-1. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 6517266. PMID 31043728.