ABSTRACT
MICHAEL J. DANSON, RUPERT J. M. RUSSELL, DAVID W. HOUGH AND GARRY L. TAYLOR Centre for Extremophile Research, Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, UK
Virtually all chemical reactions within a cell are catalysed by enzymes. The sum total of these reactions is known as metabolism, which has two principal components: catabolism and anabolism. Catabolic pathways serve to degrade nutrients to produce energy and the precursors of cellular components, whereas anabolic routes use these precursors in biosynthetic, energy-requiring pathways. The metabolic link between them is provided by central metabolism, and so fundamental are these central pathways that they are found in all living organisms. A comparative analysis of central metabolism, of both the pathways and the component enzymes, can therefore yield invaluable information on the evolution of organisms and the adaptation to their environments.
