Malic Enzyme Makes NADPH

The video tutorial discusses two main reactions in humans that produce NADPH: the pentose phosphate pathway and the malic enzyme reaction. The pentose phosphate pathway is an oxidative process that generates significant amounts of NADPH. The malic enzyme takes malate from the TCA cycle and performs oxidative decarboxylation to produce NADPH and pyruvate. This process is similar to the action of isocitrate dehydrogenase. NADPH is crucial for biosynthetic pathways, including amino acid and nucleotide synthesis. The tutorial highlights the importance of alternative NADPH production methods that do not rely heavily on glycolysis.

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