Ribulose 5-phosphate is one of the end-products of the pentose phosphate pathway.

It is formed by phosphogluconate dehydrogenase in the pentose phosphate pathway.

Ribulose 5-phosphate can be acted upon by phosphopentose isomerase to form ribose 5-phosphate, which is a precursor for nucleotide and co-factor biosynthesis.

[2] Ribulose-5 phosphate can also be acted upon by phosphopentose epimerase to form xylulose 5-phosphate, which is used in the nonoxidative phase of the pentose phosphate pathway in humans to generate precursor molecules for the synthesis of aromatic amino acids and production of energy.

[3] In plants, ribulose 5-phosphate produced from the pentose-phosphate pathway is converted into ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate by the enzyme phosphoribokinase.