Tag: Glyoxylate cycle

While excess carbohydrates are easily stored as fat in the human body, the reverse is a far more complex metabolic question that largely depends on the organism. For decades, it was considered a biochemical certainty that mammals could not convert fatty acids into carbohydrates, with only minor exceptions. A deeper look reveals the critical differences in metabolic pathways between animals, plants, and microorganisms.

Over 90% of overall gluconeogenesis in humans comes from substrates like lactate, glycerol, and specific amino acids. However, not all organisms possess the metabolic pathway needed to synthesize glucose from fatty acid-derived acetyl-coA. This article explores which of the following organisms cannot convert acetyl-coA derived from fatty acids into glucose and why, focusing on the key differences in metabolic cycles.