An Organism May Use Glycolysis and the Pentose Phosphate Pathway

Question

An organism may use glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway simultaneously.

Accepted Answer

Glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway are two distinct metabolic pathways that can run simultaneously in an organism. Both pathways occur in the cytoplasm and use glucose as their starting point, but they have different end products and serve different purposes. Glycolysis produces pyruvate and ATP and is primarily used to generate energy. The pentose phosphate pathway produces NADPH and ribose-5-phosphate and is primarily used for biosynthesis and oxidative stress defense. Therefore, an organism can use both pathways simultaneously to meet its energy and biosynthetic needs.