Metabolic intermediates are molecules that are the precursors or metabolites of biologically significant molecules.
Although these intermediates are of relatively minor direct importance to cellular function, they can play important roles in the
allosteric
In biochemistry, allosteric regulation (or allosteric control) is the regulation of an enzyme by binding an effector molecule at a site other than the enzyme's active site.
The site to which the effector binds is termed the ''allosteric site ...
regulation of
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. ...
s.
Clinical significance
Some can be useful in measuring rates of metabolic processes (for example,
3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid or
3-aminoisobutyrate).
Because they can represent unnatural points of entry into natural metabolic pathways, some (such as
AICA ribonucleotide) are of interest to researchers in developing new therapies.
See also
*
Metabolism
Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cel ...
Metabolism
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