A close look at pentose metabolism of gut bacteria.

Mirko Basen, Sonja Elisabeth Kurrer

The FEBS journal 2021 Mar

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In the human gut, plant dietary fibers are broken down to hexoses (C6) and pentoses (C5) and subsequently fermented by gut bacteria, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The biochemistry of C5 metabolism has not been studied well in gut microorganisms. Garschagen et al. provide a new perspective in a detailed biochemical study on C5 metabolism of the abundant Prevotella copri, which uses the sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphate pathway instead of the pentose phosphate pathway. © 2020 The Authors. The FEBS Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.