The ability of pentose pathways to form all essential metabolites provides clues to the origins of metabolism
The structure of the early metabolic network is unknown. Here, we report that when considered together, pentose utilization pathways form all life-essential precursors. We speculate that the chemistry preserved in pentose metabolism could therefore have been a central structural element in early metabolism.
Authors
- Steffen N. Lindner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3226-3043)
- Markus Ralser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9535-7413)
Institutions
- Centre for Human Genetics (GB)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (DE)
- Freie Universität Berlin (DE)
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PLoS Biology
- Published
- 2025-01-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002996
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Amino Acid Enzymes and Metabolism
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.34