The acetate pathway, also known as the polyketide pathway, is a fundamental

biosynthetic Biosynthesis, i.e., chemical synthesis occurring in biological contexts, is a term most often referring to multi-step, enzyme- catalyzed processes where chemical substances absorbed as nutrients (or previously converted through biosynthesis) serve ...

route in organisms for the production of

fatty acid In chemistry, in particular in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated and unsaturated compounds#Organic chemistry, saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an ...

s and

polyketide In organic chemistry, polyketides are a class of natural products derived from a Precursor (chemistry), precursor molecule consisting of a Polymer backbone, chain of alternating ketone (, or Carbonyl reduction, its reduced forms) and Methylene gro ...

s. This pathway operates at the interface of central metabolism and specialized metabolite synthesis, playing a crucial role in the synthesis of both primary and secondary metabolites. It begins with

acetyl-CoA Acetyl-CoA (acetyl coenzyme A) is a molecule that participates in many biochemical reactions in protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Its main function is to deliver the acetyl group to the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) to be oxidation, o ...

and involves the stepwise condensation of two-carbon units, typically derived from

malonyl-CoA Malonyl-CoA is a coenzyme A derivative of malonic acid. Biosynthesis Malonyl-CoA cannot cross membranes and there is no known malonyl-CoA import mechanism. The biosynthesis therefore takes place locally: * cytosol: Malonyl-CoA is formed by c ...

, to form increasingly longer carbon chains. In fatty acid synthesis, these chains are fully reduced after each elongation step, while in polyketide synthesis, the reduction steps may be partially or completely omitted, leading to a diverse array of complex natural products. The acetate pathway is essential for the biosynthesis of vital cellular components such as membrane lipids, as well as a wide range of bioactive secondary metabolites, including many pharmaceutically important compounds.

References

{{Reflist Metabolic pathways