Metabolic pathway

In biochemistry, a metabolic pathway is a series of chemical reactions within a biological cell, catalyzed by enzymes, which either results in the removal of a molecule from the environment to be used/stored by the cell (metabolic sink[?]), or the initiation of another metabolic pathway (also called flux generating step).

Most metabolic pathways have common properties :

• They are irreversible, usually because
• The first step is a committed step[?] that only runs in one direction.
• The pathways are regulated, usually by feedback inhibition[?].
• Anabolic and catabolic pathways in eukaryotes are separated by either compartimentation or by the use of different (co)enzymes.

See also : catabolism

External links : Google directory (http://directory.google.com/Top/Science/Biology/Biochemistry/Metabolic_Pathways/)