Triose phosphate isomerase enables the entire glucose molecule to be used during glycolysis by? The Role of Triose Phosphate Isomerase in Enabling Glycolysis

The Role of Triose Phosphate Isomerase in Enabling Glycolysis

Triose phosphate isomerase (TPI) is an enzyme that plays a critical role in enabling glycolysis, the metabolic pathway in which a glucose molecule is broken down into two pyruvate molecules. TPI catalyzes the conversion of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (G3P), allowing the entire glucose molecule to be used in the process (Rashidi et al., 2020). TPI is the only enzyme that is able to catalyze the interconversion of these two molecules; without it, the glucose molecule cannot be converted into the energy-storing molecules that are necessary for glycolysis (Gao et al., 2016). TPI is a highly conserved enzyme, found in nearly all species of organisms, from bacteria to humans (Tong et al., 2018). In humans, TPI is located in the cytoplasm and is involved in a wide range of metabolic processes, including glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the pentose phosphate pathway (Li et al., 2021). Its multiple roles in these pathways make it an essential enzyme for all cells. Cont…..