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Updated: Jul 6, 2025

Metabolic Pathway Confirmation and Discovery Through 13C-labeling of Proteinogenic Amino Acids
Published on: January 26, 2012
The shikimate pathway: gateway to metabolic diversity
Vikram V Shende1, Katherine D Bauman2, Bradley S Moore1,3
1Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA. bsmoore@ucsd.edu.
Abstract:
Covering: 1997 to 2023The shikimate pathway is the metabolic process responsible for the biosynthesis of the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. Seven metabolic steps convert phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and erythrose 4-phosphate (E4P) into shikimate and ultimately chorismate, which serves as the branch point for dedicated aromatic amino acid biosynthesis. Bacteria, fungi, algae, and plants (yet not animals) biosynthesize chorismate and exploit its intermediates in their specialized metabolism. This review highlights the metabolic diversity derived from intermediates of the shikimate pathway along the seven steps from PEP and E4P to chorismate, as well as additional sections on compounds derived from prephenate, anthranilate and the synonymous aminoshikimate pathway. We discuss the genomic basis and biochemical support leading to shikimate-derived antibiotics, lipids, pigments, cofactors, and other metabolites across the tree of life.
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