Leloir pathway

It is named after Luis Federico Leloir, who first described it.

[1][2][3][4] In the first step, galactose mutarotase facilitates the conversion of β-D-galactose to α-D-galactose since this is the active form in the pathway.

Next, α-D-galactose is phosphorylated by galactokinase to galactose 1-phosphate.

In the third step, D-galactose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase converts galactose 1-phosphate to UDP-galactose using UDP-glucose as the uridine diphosphate source.

Finally, UDP-galactose 4-epimerase recycles the UDP-galactose to UDP-glucose for the transferase reaction.

Steps in the Leloir pathway of galactose metabolism.
Intermediates and enzymes in the Leloir pathway of galactose metabolism [ 5 ]