Which of the following represents the main function of the pentose phosphate pathway?
A) provides a mechanism for the utilization of the carbon skeletons of excess amino acids
B) provides an alternative pathway for energy production should glycolysis fail
C) provides an alternative pathway for oxidation of excess fructose
D) supplies the cell with hexose sugars and NADH
E) supplies the cell with pentose sugars and NADPH

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The pentose phosphate pathway primarily generates NADPH and ribose-5-phosphate (a pentose sugar), which are essential for biosynthetic reactions and nucleotide synthesis, respectively.  The 2 major functions of the PPP are (1) the generation of reducing equivalents, in the form of NADPH, for reductive biosynthesis reactions within cells and (2) to provide the cell with ribose 5-phosphate (R5P) for the synthesis of the nucleotides and nucleic acids.

Which of the Following Represents the Main Function of the Pentose