Metabolism is the chemical process that keeps living organisms alive by
providing cells with energy to maintain normal cell functions and metabolic building
blocks to produce new cellular components. Metabolism is, therefore, central to all life
and comprises myriad biochemical pathways organised by myriad intermediates to
form networks that convert nutrient substrates to metabolic products. This chapter
describes the metabolic pathways and metabolic intermediates present in all cells, the
enzymes that catalyse these reactions, the mechanistic details behind the biochemistry,
and the roles that they play in obtaining energy, biosynthesis and cell regulation. It
explores systems-level control of metabolic flux to adapt cell functions to
environmental changes and discusses the serious consequences that result when control
breaks down and so-called metabolic ‘disinsiders’ take over – as in metabolic disorders
such as diabetes and obesity. It also discusses novel technologies and research
paradigms driving progress in the world of metabolism, including new approaches to
data analysis and drug discovery, and will define the future of this field in the coming
decades. In this chapter, we describe the process of primary metabolism: how cells
obtain energy and build new biological molecules such as proteins, lipids and nucleic
acids.
Keywords: Biochemistry, Cell function, Metabolic pathways, Metabolism.
