Glucose Is Sometimes Diverted through the Pentose Phosphate Pathway

4 Glucose Is Sometimes Diverted through the Pentose Phosphate Pathway 

What are the oxidative reactions of the pentose phosphate pathway  

The next reaction is an oxidative decarboxylation, and NADPH is produced once again. The 6-phosphogluconate molecule loses its carboxyl group, which is released as carbon dioxide, and the five-carbon keto-sugar (ketose) ribulose- 

5- phosphate is the other product. The enzyme that catalyzes this reaction is 

6- phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. In the process, the G-3 hydroxyl group of the 6-phosphogluconate is oxidized to form a P-keto acid, which is unstable and readily decarboxylates to form ribulose-5-phosphate. 

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