Methylglyoxal pathway

[1] However unlike glycolysis the methylglyoxal pathway does not produce adenosine triphosphate, ATP.

Methylglyoxal is, however, a reactive aldehyde that is very toxic to cells, it can inhibit growth in E. coli at milimolar concentrations.

The excessive intake of glucose by a cell is the most important process for the activation of the methylglyoxal pathway.

[2] The methylglyoxal pathway is activated by the increased intercellular uptake of carbon containing molecules such as glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, lactate, or glycerol.

If methylglyoxal enters the glyoxylase pathway, it is converted into lactoylguatathione and eventually D-lactate.

The potentially hazardous effects of methylglyoxal require regulation of the reactions with this substrate.

Synthesis of methylglyoxal is regulated by levels of DHAP and phosphate concentrations.

The usual pathway converting GAP to pyruvate starts with the enzyme glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Weber 711–13).

Jan Weber, Anke Kayser, and Ursula Rinas, performed an experiment to test what happened to the methylglyoxal pathway when E. coli was in the presence of a constantly high concentration of glucose.

The decrease in the concentration of methylglyoxal was connected to the drop in respiratory activity.

One believed purpose of the methylglyoxal pathway is to help release the stress of elevated sugar phosphate concentration.

"Structural Anayysis of Glyeraldehyde 3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli: Direct Evidence for Substrate Binding and Cofactor-Induced Confromational Changes.