Topic

Microbial metabolism: Pentose Phosphate Pathway

 Name – PANKAJ KUMAR KUNDU

 Amity Institute of Virology and Immunology, Amity University, Noida
 Course – M.Sc. Virology,
 Subject – General Microbiology
 Semester – First
 Enrolment Number – A12137421001
 Submitted to Dr Devinder Toor
 Pentose Phosphate Pathway
 The Pentose Phosphate Pathway is a sugar metabolizing pathway
that is present in most bacteria.
 The Pentose Phosphate Pathway is not of great significance for the
production of energy, but it is valuable as the products of the
pathway are 5-carbon and 4-carbon molecules that serve as
precursor metabolites for nucleic acid and amino acid synthesis.
 Further, Pentose Phosphate Pathway provides reducing power
required in the biosynthesis of cell components. This pathway is
important in the organisms that carry out fermentations where
reducing power (NADH) is not available for biosynthetic reactions.
 The Pentose Phosphate Pathway can operate in the presence or
absence of oxygen.
 Pentose Phosphate Pathway

 The Pentose Phosphate Pathway is called as such because pentose

phosphates are produced in this pathway.
 The Pentose Phosphate Pathway is also known as the Warburg-
Dicken-Lipman Pathway (named after the persons who worked on
it) and the Phosphogluconate Pathway named after the first
product in the pathway.
 The Pentose Phosphate Pathway is also known as the Hexose
Monophosphate (HMP) Shunt and is an alternative pathway to
glycolysis.
 In this pathway glucose is used as the raw material.
 Pentose Phosphate Pathway

 The products formed in Hexose Monophosphate (HMP) Shunt are

pentose sugars, carbon dioxide and NADPH.
 The end products of Hexose Monophosphate (HMP) Shunt can
enter glycolysis and hence the name.
 This pathway occurs in certain mammalian tissues notably liver,
adrenal cortex, thyroid, adipose tissues, testis, erythrocytes and
lactating mammary glands which are involved in fatty acid and
steroid production.
 The pathway occurs in the extra mitochondrial soluble portion of
the cells.
 Pentose Phosphate Pathway
 Unlike glycolysis and Krebs cycle which are primarily concerned with the
generation of ATP, HMP shunt generates a different type of metabolic
energy – the reducing power.
 Some of the electrons and hydrogen atoms of fuel molecules are
conserved for biosynthetic purposes rather than transferred to oxygen
to generate ATP.
 This currency of readily available reducing power in cells is NADPH
(reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). Thus
fundamental distinction between NADPH and NADH (reduced
nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is that NADH is oxidised by the
respiratory chain to generate ATP whereas NADPH serves as a hydrogen
and electron donor in reductive biosynthesis, for example, in the
biosynthesis of fatty acids and steroids.
 Pentose Phosphate Pathway
The pathway consists of 2 distinct phases.
The first phase involves conversion of
hexose to pentose and the second phase
involves conversion of pentose to hexose.

During the interconversion of pentoses and

hexoses, 3, 4 and 7 carbon sugars are also
formed (C3, C4, C7).
Pentose Phosphate Pathway
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 Metabolic Significance of HMP Shunt
HMP shunt produces reducing power, namely, NADPH. The NADPH
is used for the synthesis of fatty acids, steroids, ascorbic acid
(uronic acid pathway), etc.
Pentose phosphates are produced in this pathway. Of the various
pentoses formed, ribose 5-phosphate is of importance, which is
used up in the biosynthesis of nucleic acids.
The products fructose 6-phosphate and glyceraldehyde 6-
phosphate are used in glycolysis.
Though the energy rich NADPH produced by the HMP shunt is
mainly involved in the biosynthesis (fatty acids, steroids, etc.,) it
may also be oxidized by electron transport chain, thereby each
molecule of NADPH may produce 3 molecules of ATP.
 Metabolic Significance of HMP Shunt
Let us assume that 6 molecules of glucose enter the shunt. During the first
phase, 6 molecules of pentoses, namely, ribulose 5-phosphate are formed
which in turn are converted into 4 molecules of xylulose 5-phosphate and 2
molecules of ribose 5-phosphate. In the second phase, of the 4 molecules of
xylulose 5-phosphate, 2 molecules combine with the 2 molecules of ribose 5-
phosphate resulting in 2 molecules of fructose 6-phosphate and 2 molecules of
erythrose 4-phosphate. These 2 molecules of erythrose 4-phosphate combine
with the other 2 molecules of xylulose 5-phosphate to form 2 molecules of
fructose 6-phosphate and 2 molecules of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. The 2
glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate molecules combine together and by the reverse
process of glycolysis result in the formation of a single molecule of fructose 6-
phosphate. Thus totally 5 molecules of fructose 6-phosphate are formed which
are converted into 5 molecules of glucose.
 Metabolic Significance of HMP Shunt

Thus, of the 6 molecules of glucose that enter the HMP shunt,

5 molecules are regenerated and only 1 is completely
oxidized. There are 2 energy producing (NADPH) steps in each
shunt or pathway and thus in the total of 6 pathways 12
NADPH (2 X 6 = 12) are produced. As these 12 molecules
enter the electron transport chain, it would result in the
formation of 36 molecules of ATP (12 X 3 = 36). Of these, 1
molecule is used up in the initial phosphorylation of glucose
to glucose-6 phosphate. Thus it results in a net gain of 35 ATP
(36 – 1) molecules.
 References
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