1. Signaling Pathways
  2. Metabolic Enzyme/Protease
  3. Glucose Metabolism

Glucose Metabolism  (糖代谢)

Glucose is the transport form of carbohydrate in blood, and plays an important role in glucose metabolism. Glucose metabolism is a delicate and complex process, which is conducted by specific enzymes (e.g., hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, phosphofructokinase, etc.) and in different distribution of the cell.

Glucose is catalyzed into pyruvate and produces ATP in the cytoplasm, this process is called glycolysis. Pyruvate is the end product of glycolysis and is a key intermediate in numerous metabolic pathways. Under aerobic conditions, pyruvate is oxidised to form acetyl CoA, which then enters mitochondria and participates in the TCA cycle to completely oxidize and produce large amounts of ATP. Under hypoxic conditions, pyruvate is converted to lactate or ethanol.

Non-carbohydrate carbon precursors (such as lactate, pyruvate, or glycerol) are converted into glucose or glycogen in liver and kidney cells in a process known as gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis maintains the blood glucose levels following glycogen depletion, and in the renal cortex during starvation.

Oxidative phosphorylation occurs during the decomposition of glucose. Large amounts of NADH and FADH2 produced and then they transfer electrons to oxygen along a sequence of electron transport to produce water, and pump protons to the inner membrane of mitochondria. This sequence of electron transporters is called the electron transport chain (ETC). The electrochemical gradient is used to drive ATP synthase to produce ATP.