A series of linked biochemical reactions through which cells convert molecules into other substances or transfer and use energy.
A metabolic pathway consists of multiple enzyme-controlled chemical reactions in which the product of one reaction can become the starting material for the next. These pathways allow cells to obtain energy, build essential molecules, break down substances, and maintain normal cellular functions.
Metabolic pathways can be catabolic, breaking molecules down and often releasing usable energy, or anabolic, using energy to build more complex molecules. Many pathways are interconnected rather than operating independently.
QUICK FACT
A metabolic pathway is not necessarily a single straight chain of reactions. Many pathways branch, converge, and interact with one another.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
- Metabolism: the complete network of chemical reactions occurring in an organism or cell; metabolic pathways are individual interconnected routes within that network.
- Enzyme: a biological catalyst that speeds up a chemical reaction; enzymes facilitate reactions within metabolic pathways.
SEE ALSO