Definition
Glucose metabolism is the process by which a simple sugar (monosaccharide) found in many foods is processed and used to produce energy in the form of ATP. Once consumed, glucose is absorbed by the intestines and transported into the blood. Extra glucose is stored in cells as glycogen. When needed, it is hydrolyzed to glucose and released into the blood. Glucose is the most important carbohydrate because it is thought to represent the starting point for more than 80% of all the phosphorus-containing compounds in proliferating cells.
Characteristics
The name “glucose” comes from the Greek word glukus, meaning “sweet.” The suffix “-ose” denotes a sugar. Glucose is classified as a hexose because it is a monosaccharide containing six carbon atoms. Glucose, like other hexoses, exists primarily in a ring form under physiological conditions and can exist in multiple stereochemical configurations. The stereoisomer of glucose found in nature is D-glucose (a.k.a., dextrose) or...
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See Also
(2012) ATP. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of Cancer, 3rd edn. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, p 302. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_440
(2012) Glucose. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of Cancer, 3rd edn. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, p 1558. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_2430
(2012) Glut1. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of Cancer, 3rd edn. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, p 1558. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_2434
(2012) Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of Cancer, 3rd edn. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, p 1570. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_2448
(2012) Glycolysis. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of Cancer, 3rd edn. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, p 1570. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_2450
(2012) Lactate Dehydrogenase. In: Schwab M (ed) Encyclopedia of Cancer, 3rd edn. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp 1967–1968. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-16483-5_3260
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Greene, M. (2016). Glucose Metabolism. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46875-3_7118
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46875-3_7118
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