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]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. Bibcode:2019Natur.569..104M. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1151-1. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 6517266. PMID 31043728.